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Article: Follow that supernova: as SN 1987A develops, astronomers watch and wonder.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- August 22, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1987 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Follow That Supernova
Not in centuries have astronomers seen a supernova as close as SN 1987A, and never have they seen one so close with modern observing equipment. Its development keeps offering surprises, like the strange "companion' that suddenly appeared beside it about a month after its discovery last February. Astronomers are not sure whether these behaviors are common and just were not seen in more distant supernovas, or whether SN 1987A really is anomalous in some ways.
Scientists discussing the supernova at the joint gathering in June of the American Astronomical Society and the Canadian Astronomical Society in Vancouver, British Columbia, were ...