Supernova 1987A in LMC

One day in 1987, an astronomer by the name of Ian Shelton was making observations of the Tarantula Nebula in Large Magellanic cloud at Las Campanas Observatory, and he noticed something strange on his image. After seeing this, he did something that astronomers have't done for some time, he went outside and looked up.

SN 1987A got as bright as 2.7, the only other recent SN even to come close was 1885A in M31 which got up to mag 6.

What follows is the list of IAUCs which announced this SN, and what they discovered:
• IAUC 4316 2/24/87 Discovery! Mag 4.5
• IAUC 4317 2/25/87 Progenitor was Mag 10.2 Sanduleak -69 202
• IAUC 4318 2/25/87 Type II? Progenitor appears to be a double, making this possibly a type I. Mag 4.4
• IAUC 4319 2/26/87 Exact coordinates are R.A. = 5h35m49s.942, Decl. = -69 17'57".60 (equinox 1950.0), Progenitor definatly a double, Mag 4.5
• IAUC 4320 2/26/87 Looks like a Type II. Mag 4.0
• IAUC 4321 2/27/87 More Spectra, STSci report on the companion to Sanduleak -69 202, mag 4.3
• IAUC 4322 2/28/87, First IAUC to be published on a weekend. Sanduleak -69 202's companions was seperated by 1".4 (just over an arc second) from it'sparent. Mag 4.4
• IAUC 4323 2/28/87 5 Nutriono pulses were detected
• IAUC 4324 2/28/87 Spectrum is different from any observed, similar to 1983N in M83.
• IAUC 4325 3/1/87 Back to a Type II again.
• IAUC 4326 3/1/87 Spectrum starting to get reder.
• IAUC 4327 3/2/87 Companion my be coincidental (a forground star) Mag 4.2
• IAUC 4328 3/3/87 More Spectral data.
• IAUC 4329 3/4/87 Type Ib?
• IAUC 4330 3/5/87 type II, Ia? Mag 4.4
• IAUC 4331 3/6/87 type II
• IAUC 4332 3/7/87 More Nutrino dectections, mag 4.51
• ...
• IAUC 7354 2/1/00 New structure in the inner ring
• IAUC 7359 2/7/00 New hot spot in inner ring
• IAUC 7360 2/7/00 HST observation of new spot
• IAUC 7419 5/9/00 HST resolving the new hot spot
• IAUC 7520 11/17/00 HST interaction of ejecta with the inner ring
• IAUC 7623 2001/05/12 HST, more new spots on reminant
• IAUC 7757 2001/11/20 Radio observations

SN 1987A web sites:
• SEDS 1987A page
• Doug Clapp's images
• The AAO SN 1987A Data Archive
• Florida Today's Diary of a Supernova: Key events in the history of SN1987A
• STSCI's Key events in the History of 1987A
• Chandra image.

Images of this Supernova:
• Doug Clapp image
• Anglo-Australian Observatory Comparison images
• Anglo-Australian Observatory Wide field
• Anglo-Australian Observatory overlaid with stars
• LBL images

Supernova Remnant images
• Rosat image