This stunning space wallpaper reveals supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Glittering stars and wisps of gas create a backdrop for the self-destruction of a massive star.

Astronomers have captured a red supergiant supernova explosion for the first time, gathering crucial new information about these dramatic events.

The thin, blood-red shells are actually the remnants from when an unstable progenitor star exploded violently as a supernova around 600 years ago.