Rapid Response

Supernova 1987a - © AAO

Sometimes things in astronomy happen very fast. For example, Supernovae are enormously powerful exploding stars which can get millions of times brighter in a matter of days before slowly fading away again. A robotic telescope is vital to get information about the early stages.

This picture shows two photographs of the same region of sky a few days after and before a supernova in 1987.