Name: Supernova SN1987A Optical Photometry and Spectroscopy
Creator: Open Supernova Catalog

Question 1

What type of supernova is SN1987A and what kind of star exploded?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A is classified as a Type II supernova, consistent with core collapse of a massive star that retained hydrogen in its outer envelope. Typical progenitor mass ranges quoted for the class are model expectations, not a measured mass for this star.

Question 2

What was the progenitor star doing in the millions of years leading up to SN1987A?

Accepted Answer

The specific progenitor of SN1987A has not been observed. Events of this spectroscopic class are generally associated with massive-star core collapse after successive nuclear burning stages (hydrogen → helium → carbon → neon → oxygen → silicon → iron). Typical lifetimes of such progenitors are tens of millions of years, but that is a class expectation—not a measured age or evolutionary track for this star. No pre-explosion imaging identification is cited in the available record for SN1987A.

Question 3

How far away is SN1987A from Earth and how old is the light reaching us?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A has a luminosity distance of approximately 0.1 Million Light-Years (redshift z = 9.51e-06, d_L = 0.043 Mpc). A lookback time is not computed here without a usable redshift; do not interpret the luminosity-distance light-year figure as travel time.

Question 4

What does the cosmological redshift of SN1987A tell us about the expansion of space?

Accepted Answer

No spectroscopic redshift has been measured for SN1987A. Without a published z, its place in the Hubble flow, recession velocity, and lookback time cannot be stated. A redshift requires a spectrum (or a well-calibrated photometric redshift from multi-band imaging). Check the sources below for follow-up spectroscopy.

Question 5

How bright did SN1987A become at its peak, and how many Suns does that equal?

Accepted Answer

At peak brightness, SN1987A achieved an apparent magnitude of 1.9 around 1987/05/12. Corrected for cosmic distance and foreground interstellar dust, its intrinsic absolute magnitude was -16.3. At this peak, the exploding star radiated with the incandescent brilliance of approximately 283.1 million Suns combined, briefly outshining the cumulative starlight of entire dwarf galaxies!

Question 6

How much total energy was released by SN1987A, and where did that energy go?

Accepted Answer

Core-collapse events of this broad class are often discussed with a ~10⁵³ erg gravitational binding energy of which ~99% may escape as neutrinos—again a class scale, not a measured budget for SN1987A.

Question 7

How fast are the supernova ejecta and shockwave of SN1987A expanding through space?

Accepted Answer

Spectroscopic line blueshifts imply an ejecta velocity of approximately 320 km/s (~0.1% of c) for SN1987A. This is distinct from cosmological recession velocity inferred from redshift.

Question 8

What powers the prolonged glow of SN1987A weeks and months after detonation?

Accepted Answer

Classified core-collapse light curves are often sustained after peak by radioactive ⁵⁶Ni → ⁵⁶Co → ⁵⁶Fe decay, with typical nickel yields of order 0.05–0.15 solar masses—again a class scale, not a measured yield for SN1987A. Shock-breakout heating may dominate the earliest optical flash; without a published bolometric fit, neither nickel mass nor the dominant power source is established for this event.

Question 9

What chemical elements did SN1987A create and disperse into the universe?

Accepted Answer

Events of SN1987A's broad spectroscopic class are discussed in galactic chemical evolution as sources of oxygen-group and intermediate-mass elements (and, for some channels, iron-peak material). No measured elemental yields are published for SN1987A.

Question 10

Did SN1987A leave behind a black hole, a neutron star, or nothing at all?

Accepted Answer

A core-collapse explosion associated with SN1987A's class forges an ultra-dense compact stellar remnant at the center of the detonation. If the progenitor had an initial mass under ~20 solar masses, it left behind a neutron star (pulsar)—packing the mass of our entire Sun into a city-sized sphere barely 20 kilometers wide, spinning dozens or hundreds of times per second. If the progenitor exceeded ~25–30 solar masses, gravity overcame neutron degeneracy pressure, creating a permanent stellar-mass black hole.

Question 11

What will SN1987A's explosion site look like in 1,000 to 10,000 years?

Accepted Answer

Supernova remnants in general evolve through free-expansion, Sedov–Taylor, and radiative phases over centuries to millennia, sometimes becoming bright X-ray shells and occasionally compressing nearby molecular clouds. These are standard remnant-evolution models, not forecasts measured for SN1987A. Whether this site will trigger star formation, reach particular X-ray temperatures, or match Cassiopeia A depends on local density and magnetic field—none of which are constrained by the data shown here.

Question 12

In which galaxy did SN1987A explode, and where is it located relative to the galactic center?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A is associated with cataloged host LMC at an angular/physical offset of 4132 from the reported galactic center. That offset places the transient in the host's projected light distribution; it does not by itself prove which stellar population produced the progenitor.

Question 13

Where is SN1987A located in the night sky and which constellation is it in?

Accepted Answer

In the celestial sphere, SN1987A is located at Right Ascension 05:35:28.020 and Declination -69:16:11.07, situated in the constellation Mensa (The Table Mountain). Because its declination is -69:16:11.07, it is favorably placed for Southern Hemisphere observatories.

Question 14

How much Milky Way interstellar dust obscures our view of SN1987A?

Accepted Answer

Along this line of sight, the catalog records a Milky Way foreground color excess of E(B−V) = 2.1436 mag (source: 5,63), corresponding to roughly A_V ≈ 6.65 mag for R_V = 3.1. Band-specific corrections (e.g. A_r) differ from A_V and should be applied when available. Map-based values (IRSA / Schlafly & Finkbeiner 2011) must not be claimed unless that map was actually queried.

Question 15

Across which photometric filter bands was SN1987A monitored?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A was tracked across 3437 photometric observations across a baseline of 10432.6 days utilizing filter bands including B, I, R, U, V. Data were captured by observatories and survey networks including global optical observatories. Multi-color photometry tracks the temperature evolution of the fireball, verifying the rise time to peak and the rate of radioactive decline.

Question 16

What did astronomical spectroscopy reveal about SN1987A's chemical makeup?

Accepted Answer

Astronomers obtained 36 spectroscopic epochs for SN1987A from 1000.0 Å to 11008.0 Å. Optical spectroscopy provides the definitive physical fingerprint of the transient: P-Cygni line profiles reveal the expansion speed of the ejecta, while characteristic absorption features (such as hydrogen Balmer lines Hα/Hβ in Type II, or Si II λ6355 in Type Ia) identify the stellar composition and physical mechanism of the explosion.

Question 17

Who discovered SN1987A and how was it first detected?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A was officially reported on 1987/02/24 by Shelton, Duhalde, Jones. Discoveries are typically flagged by high-cadence robotic survey telescopes (such as ATLAS, ZTF, Pan-STARRS, ASAS-SN, or Gaia) and worldwide amateur astronomers scanning the night sky, followed by rapid spectroscopic classification by international observatories.

Question 18

How many scientific publications and observatories have contributed data to SN1987A?

Accepted Answer

SN1987A is documented across 67 scientific references and archival data sources in the Open Supernova Catalog. These include discovery circulars and research datasets from 2016A&A...585A.162M, 2016A&A...594A..13P, 2016ApJ...829...40F, 2012A&A...538A.120L. All raw photometry and spectroscopy points are cross-indexed to their original bibliographic records for peer-reviewed verification.

Question 19

What other names and survey identifiers exist for SN1987A?

Accepted Answer

Throughout global alert streams and survey databases, SN1987A has also been designated as: MCSNR J0535-6916, INTREF 262, LMC, SSTISAGE1C J053528.01-691611.0, 2XMM J053528.1-691611, XMMU J053528.5-691614, J053527.99-691611.1, LMC 264, AAVSO 0534-69, LMCSNR J053528-691611. These cross-matched identifiers allow astronomers to cross-reference observations across the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), Pan-STARRS, Gaia Photometric Science Alerts, and the IAU Transient Name Server (TNS).

Question 20

How does SN1987A contribute to measuring the Hubble Constant and the scale of the cosmos?

Accepted Answer

As a core-collapse supernova, SN1987A provides independent cosmological distance calibrations via the Expanding Photosphere Method (EPM) and the Standard Candle Method for Type II supernovae (SCM-II). By correlating the physical expansion speed of the photosphere (measured via spectroscopic Doppler shifts) with its photometric color temperature, astronomers determine direct geometric distances independent of secondary distance ladders.

Question 21

Could gravitational waves or neutrinos from SN1987A be detected on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Core-collapse supernovae like SN1987A are premier targets for multi-messenger astrophysics! During the collapse of the iron core, an intense burst of 10⁵⁸ neutrinos escaped into space hours before the shock broke out through the stellar surface (as famously seen in SN 1987A). Furthermore, violent core asymmetries and non-axisymmetric core bounce can emit high-frequency gravitational waves detectable by advanced interferometers (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) for events within the Milky Way and Local Group.

Question 22

How does SN1987A compare to famous historical supernovae like SN 1987A or the Crab Supernova?

Accepted Answer

Compared to historical landmarks like SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (168,000 light-years away, naked-eye peak m = 2.9) or the Crab Supernova of 1054 (6,500 light-years away), SN1987A occurred at a distance of 0.1 Million Light-Years. While historical naked-eye supernovae occurred within our Milky Way or its immediate satellites, modern discoveries like SN1987A allow astrophysicists to probe diverse galactic environments, metallicities, and stellar populations across the broader universe.

Question 23

Can I see SN1987A tonight with a backyard telescope or binoculars?

Accepted Answer

Unknown — no measured brightness. SN1987A was discovered 14496 days ago (1987/02/24), but no calibrated photometry is published for it, so its current apparent magnitude cannot be stated. Without a magnitude there is no basis for a telescope-aperture recommendation. Use the coordinates and airmass chart above to plan a follow-up observation and report what you measure.

Question 24

Does the radiation or shockwave from SN1987A pose any threat to Earth?

Accepted Answer

No, Earth is in zero danger. Supernovae are violent events emitting powerful gamma rays, X-rays, and cosmic rays; however, the astrophysical 'lethal kill zone' for our planet's protective ozone layer is estimated at 50 to 100 light-years. At a distance of 0.1 Million Light-Years, the inverse-square law dilutes the radiation by quintillions of times, making SN1987A completely harmless to our biosphere and purely a fascinating spectacle for human exploration.

R.A. (J2000)	05:35:28.020 (83.86675°)
Dec. (J2000)	-69:16:11.07 (-69.26974°)
Spectral Type	II Pec
Redshift (z)	9.51e-06
Recession Velocity	320 km/s (redshift Doppler-equivalent)
Luminosity Distance	0.043 Mpc (~319880.8 Million Light-Years, μ = 49.96)
Peak Apparent Mag	1.9 brightest multi-epoch detection (1987/05/12)
Peak Absolute Mag	-16.3
MW Dust E(B-V)	2.1436 mag derived from galactic coordinates (coordinate model), not a dust-map measurement
Host Galaxy	LMC
Host Offset	4132
Observations	3332 detections, 36 spectra

ID	Source	Reference	NASA ADS Bibcode
[1]	2016A&A...585A.162M	Maggi et al. (2016)	`2016A&A...585A.162M`
[2]	2016A&A...594A..13P	Planck Collaboration et al. (2016)	`2016A&A...594A..13P`
[3]	2016ApJ...829...40F	Frank et al. (2016)	`2016ApJ...829...40F`
[4]	2012A&A...538A.120L	Lennarz, Altmann, & Wiebusch (2012)	`2012A&A...538A.120L`
[5]	2011ApJ...737..103S	Schlafly & Finkbeiner (2011)	`2011ApJ...737..103S`
[6]	2008AJ....136...18W	Whitney et al. (2008)	`2008AJ....136...18W`
[7]	2008yCat....1.2024B	Barbon et al. (2008)	`2008yCat....1.2024B`
[8]	2008ApJ...685L.117G	Gal-Yam et al. (2008)	`2008ApJ...685L.117G`
[9]	2002ApJ...574..293M	Mitchell et al. (2002)	`2002ApJ...574..293M`
[10]	2000ApJ...530..738R	Romaniello et al. (2000)	`2000ApJ...530..738R`
[11]	1999IAUC.7102....1G	Garnavich, Kirshner, & Challis (1999)	`1999IAUC.7102....1G`
[12]	1999ASSL..237..125W	Walker (1999)	`1999ASSL..237..125W`
[13]	1999IAUS..190..549P	Panagia (1999)	`1999IAUS..190..549P`
[14]	1998ApJ...500...51W	Weiler et al. (1998)	`1998ApJ...500...51W`
[15]	1998ApJ...494..118G	Gould & Uza (1998)	`1998ApJ...494..118G`
[16]	1998AJ....115..204R	Reid (1998)	`1998AJ....115..204R`
[17]	1998MmSAI..69..225P	Panagia (1998)	`1998MmSAI..69..225P`
[18]	1998A&A...330..515F	Fernley et al. (1998)	`1998A&A...330..515F`
[19]	1997ApJ...477..848S	Sonneborn et al. (1997)	`1997ApJ...477..848S`
[20]	1997astro.ph..7144L	Lundqvist & Sonneborn (1997)	`1997astro.ph..7144L`
[21]	1996ApJ...466..911E	Eastman, Schmidt, & Kirshner (1996)	`1996ApJ...466..911E`
[22]	1995ApJ...452..189G	Gould (1995)	`1995ApJ...452..189G`
[23]	1995ApJ...438..724C	Crotts, Kunkel, & Heathcote (1995)	`1995ApJ...438..724C`
[24]	1995ApJS...99..223P	Pun et al. (1995)	`1995ApJS...99..223P`
[25]	1994ApJ...434L..37M	McCall (1994)	`1994ApJ...434L..37M`
[26]	1994ApJ...425...51G	Gould (1994)	`1994ApJ...425...51G`
[27]	1994ApJ...420L..25G	Gorenstein, Hughes, & Tucker (1994)	`1994ApJ...420L..25G`
[28]	1993ApJ...417L..75M	McCall (1993)	`1993ApJ...417L..75M`
[29]	1992ApJ...384L..33S	Suntzeff et al. (1992)	`1992ApJ...384L..33S`
[30]	1992ASPC...30..195S	Schmidt-Kaler (1992)	`1992ASPC...30..195S`
[31]	1992ApJ...395..366S	Schmidt, Kirshner, & Eastman (1992)	`1992ApJ...395..366S`
[32]	1991PASP..103..958W	Walker & Suntzeff (1991)	`1991PASP..103..958W`
[33]	1991A&A...249...36H	Hanuschik & Schmidt-Kaler (1991)	`1991A&A...249...36H`
[34]	1991ApJ...380L..23P	Panagia et al. (1991)	`1991ApJ...380L..23P`
[35]	1990ApJ...355..255S	Schmutz et al. (1990)	`1990ApJ...355..255S`
[36]	1989MNRAS.237P..55C	Catchpole et al. (1989)	`1989MNRAS.237P..55C`
[37]	1989ApJ...347..771E	Eastman & Kirshner (1989)	`1989ApJ...347..771E`
[38]	1988AJ.....96.1864S	Suntzeff et al. (1988)	`1988AJ.....96.1864S`
[39]	1988MNRAS.231P..75C	Catchpole et al. (1988)	`1988MNRAS.231P..75C`
[40]	1988MNRAS.234P...5W	Whitelock et al. (1988)	`1988MNRAS.234P...5W`
[41]	1988BAAS...20..985W	Wagoner et al. (1988)	`1988BAAS...20..985W`
[42]	1988LNP...305..295C	Chilukuri & Wagoner (1988)	`1988LNP...305..295C`
[43]	1987MNRAS.229P..15C	Catchpole et al. (1987)	`1987MNRAS.229P..15C`
[44]	1987IAUC.4495....1M	Maury et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4495....1M`
[45]	1987IAUC.4313....1M	McNaught et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4313....1M`
[46]	1987IAUC.4320....1F	Feast et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4320....1F`
[47]	1987MNRAS.227P..39M	Menzies et al. (1987)	`1987MNRAS.227P..39M`
[48]	1987IAUC.4336....1M	Makino et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4336....1M`
[49]	1987IAUC.4317....1H	Herald et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4317....1H`
[50]	1987IAUC.4388....1W	Whitelock, Beresford, & McNaught (1987)	`1987IAUC.4388....1W`
[51]	1987SSRvA......500C		`1987SSRvA......500C`
[52]	1987IAUC.4352....1S	Suntzeff et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4352....1S`
[53]	1987IAUC.4334....1D	Dawe et al. (1987)	`1987IAUC.4334....1D`
[54]	1987IAUC.4395....1B	Beresford, Seargent, & McNaught (1987)	`1987IAUC.4395....1B`
[55]	IAUC 4316	Marsden (1987)	`1987IAUC.4316....2M`
[56]	1987LNP...287..307H	Hoeflich (1987)	`1987LNP...287..307H`
[57]	1987ATsir1494....1C	Chugaj (1987)	`1987ATsir1494....1C`
[58]	Transient Name Server		`—`
[59]	Latest Supernovae		`—`
[60]	SNaX		`—`
[61]	SUSPECT		`—`
[62]	Sternberg Astronomical Institute Supernova Light Curve Catalogue		`—`
[63]	The Open Supernova Catalog	Guillochon et al. (2017)	`2017ApJ...835...64G`
[64]	WISeREP	Yaron & Gal-Yam (2012)	`2012PASP..124..668Y`
[65]	SIMBAD astronomical database	Wenger et al. (2000)	`2000A&AS..143....9W`
[66]	NED-D v13.1.0	Helou et al. (1991)	`1991ASSL..171...89H`
[67]	Asiago Supernova Catalogue	Barbon, Cappellaro, & Turatto (1989)	`1989A&AS...81..421B`

SN1987A

Core Parameters

Interactive Sky Field (Aladin) ✨ DSS2 Optical (China-VO mirror)

Literature & Data Provenance

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SN1987A

SN1987A

Core Parameters

Interactive Sky Field (Aladin) ✨ DSS2 Optical (China-VO mirror)

Literature & Data Provenance

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SN1987A

BibTeX Citation Block