Magellanic Cloud, the star that caused this spectacular explosion is thought to have been about 20 times the size of the Sun. Prior to the explosion, it was visible only through telescopes, but on February 23, 1987, it began to brighten and by May 20, the date of its maximum brightness, it could be seen with the naked eye. Soon after, it began to dim again, and has since fallen well below its original brightness.
Supernova explosions mark the death of stars at least 8 times the size of the Sun. Although the progenitor star of Supernova 1987a may have had 20 times the mass of the Sun, it enjoyed only 1/1000 the life span.
Because of the complexities of stellar evolution, supernovae are classified into various types
