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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

Scientists may finally know why this infamous supernova wears a 'string of pearls'

A blurry image of a supernova with a blue interior and pearl-like globules around that interview in a ring-shape. A diagram on the right shows the ring of pearls in more detail.

Scientists may have discovered how a supernova that sits relatively close to Earth came to be adorned by a remarkable "string of pearls" formation. 

Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A) represents the remains of a huge cosmic explosion that ripped apart a massive star and left behind a neutron star ringed by stellar material. It's located in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC. This region sits around 160,000 light-years away from us. 

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