SN 1987A

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sn-1987a

1. What is the progenitor star type?
2. What is the supernova type?
3. What was SN 1987A and why was it special?
4. Why did scientists think the star was a blue supergiant instead of a red supergiant?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the progenitor star type?Blue Supergiant (Sanduleak-69 202)
2. What is the supernova type?Type II-P (Plateau)
3. What was SN 1987A and why was it special?SN 1987A was a star that exploded in 1987, lighting up the night sky. It was the brightest supernova seen in the optical spectrum since 1604 and the first one visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. It happened about 168,000 light‑years away, making it the nearest supernova we could study closely.
4. Why did scientists think the star was a blue supergiant instead of a red supergiant?The star that exploded, called Sk‑69 202, was a blue supergiant, which is unusual because most core‑collapse supernovae come from red supergiants. This surprise made scientists rethink how massive stars evolve and lose mass before they die.

Core-Collapse Supernova: A supernova that occurs when the core of a massive star collapses under its own gravity.
Nucleosynthesis: The process by which new atomic nuclei are created in the universe, primarily in stars.
Interstellar Medium: The matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems of a galaxy.