Look closely at the center of this Hubble Space Telescope image and you'll see its main subject, an exploded star highlighted by two rings of expanding material. Astronomers detected this now-famous explosion, called supernova 1987A, on Feb. 23 of that year.

The self-destructing star is nestled in clouds of gas that are within a nearby galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. The entire galaxy is not visible in this photo. The clouds of gas are fertile breeding grounds for new stars, astronomers say.

And there will be more deadly explosions.

Near 1987A are several bright stars all born around the same time and equally massive, about six times heavier than the Sun. Like 1987A, these stars will not be able to support the rapid and intense depletion of hydrogen that comes with being so hefty. [Supernova Factory]

-- Robert Roy Britt