The Mysterious Rings of Supernova 1987A . ... Credit Copyright: ESA/Hubble , NASA Explanation: What's causing those odd rings in supernova 1987A? Twenty five years ago , in 1987, the brightest supernova in recent history was seen in the Large Magellanic Clouds . ... Surrounding the center are curious outer rings appearing as a flattened figure 8. Although large telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope monitor the curious rings every few years, their origin remains a mystery. ...