supernova 1987A – Astronomy Now

3 April 2026

Latest News

[ 2 April 2026 ] Witness to history: Artemis II, lunar exploration and hope News
[ 25 March 2026 ] Artificial Intelligence uncovers more than 100 new worlds in NASA data News
[ 24 March 2026 ] XRISM solves gamma-Cas’s 50-year X-ray mystery News
[ 16 March 2026 ] Molten lava world points to new class of planet Focus on
[ 26 January 2026 ] Dr Allan Chapman (1946-2026) News

Astronomers detect magnetic field in remains of supernova 1987A

1 July 2018 Astronomy Now

Supernova 1987A is one of the most studied stellar explosions in history and more than 30 years after the blast, astronomers have detected a magnetic field 50,000 times weaker than a refrigerator magnet.

Lopsided star explosion holds the key to other supernova mysteries

8 May 2015 Astronomy Now

New observations of the remnant of supernova (SN) 1987A are confirming supercomputer model predictions made at Caltech that the deaths of stellar giants are lopsided affairs in which debris and the stars’ cores hurtle off in opposite directions.