Supernova 1987A: A supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud about 160,000 light years from Earth.
Thirty years have passed since Supernova 1987A was first seen. Since then, telescopes around the world and in space have observed this remarkable object, including Chandra. This new composite contains X-rays from Chandra in blue, visible light data from Hubble in green, and submillimeter wavelength data from ALMA in red. The latest data from these telescopes indicate that SN 1987A has passed an important threshold. The supernova shock wave is moving beyond the dense ring of gas produced late in the life of the pre-supernova star. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/PSU/D. Burrows et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI; Millimeter: NRAO/AUI/NSF)