To pictures of its evolution between 1987 and 2019. This NASA video shows the 1987 supernova explosion, 35 years ago, at a rate of four years per second. Before. The dying star first exits the ring of matter (shown in red). 20,000, then it exploded: this is the flash observed in 1987. The material expelled at high speed, followed by the telescope, is now trapped in the ring. This shock wave heats the material and as a result it becomes very shiny.

In this simulation Three dimensions Conducted NASAWe can see what happened in a very close environment Supernova 1987A It has been observed since its eruption on February 24, 1987. In just a few months, this cosmic event, which exceeded the power of 100 million suns, occurred at about 168,000 in the vicinity of our galaxy. Light year Within us, within the great Magellanic cloud. So it happens with a short delay of 168,000 years.

It was SN1987A Supernova Which has been closest to mankind for many centuries. Too many ‘Astronomers Their dreams can come true: to learn what happens in these extreme circumstances in the months and years that follow this phenomenon. Hubble For example, not a single beat has been lost since 1991, and joined 10 years later Moon. Alma has recently made a donation. A lot has happened in 30 years …

When the crown burns

BeforeStar Exploding, a ring Gas It’s surrounded by light for about a year already. It is made of extruded material The red giant According to researchers, it has been dying for more than 20 millennia. And thenCrash The breath, which came out suddenly with the cloud created by the “pre-supernova”, exploded, like a star. Thus, over the past 30 years, researchers have been able to see the progressive burning of this crown. Vents Hit her. What will happen next, the researchers still do not know, because it depends on many factors, such as the density of this ring. At the center, observations show that the structure thinned at a speed of about 32 million km / h.

Meanwhile, the shock wave continues to propagate through the vast molecular cloud where the real star was born. It will enter the bud of the material to be compressed Stars, Large quantities of elements fabricated in the explosion will enrich the matrix. New suns and their planets will appear in a few million years.

© NASA