Suzy I only have Astronomy and S&T from 1983-1989 so I'm happy to scan them on rainy days.
Oh and don't worry I'm not sending whole magazines to you
Ian your photos are brilliant. Thanks for sharing. Like yourself, I never managed my photos very well in the early days. I'm still finding photos stored away i didnt know I had Thank goodness for Photoshop-type programs these days.
I always regret not taking more better photos during those special events.
Oooops! I nearly forgot to post this fantastic video by ESO's Very Large Telescope. It's a cruise through the Tarantula Nebula where it happened. Make sure you'll watch it- it's really good.
HI Suzy and all,
FWIW, I started astrophotography during the 1986 apparition of Halley's Comet, so by the time that SN1987A went bang, i only had about 12 months of practice in the dark old days of film....
So, this was quite an exciting event to be able to photograph, but the result was disappointing.
11 minutes on 400ISO Ektachrome, 200mm F3.5 telephoto lens from Redland Bay near Brisbane on 27 February 1987.
Ian,
I can't believe I missed your last post- it appears we posted around the same time with your post being the last one on page1 and mine on page 2.
Thank you so much for all those fabulous pictures! They are soooo special and you even got Sandaleuk and all pics taken the old fashioned way thru film too .
The celebration anniversary of sn1987a surely doesn't get any better than this - such fantastic contributions here from you guys. I will to keep this thread close to my heart always.
And yes, of course I will credit Noel Munford as well.
Stephen,
Thanks so much- I got all the emails
Re your avatar- It is indeed worthy! I hadn't realised before that the sn was in it, so now I get it!
Gosh Greg, you've been photographing for quite some time then!
Hey, even tho you might be a critic unto yourself as you were learning - anything taken of that special event at the time is indeed very special. But, good grief- what events (Halley's & this sn) to start your way into astro-photography.
Thank you so much for sharing your picture - every pic is a special one!
It's quite amazing how bright it is next to gamma Hydri isn't it, your pic shows that up really well!
regarding the confusion over what date S.N 1987A was discovered, one must remember that the two co-discoverers were based in Chile (Ian Shelton) and New Zealand (Albert Jones). For Ian Shelton it was still the 23rd, while for my old mate Albert it was the 24th!
I missed this thread on my two favorite astronomical phenomina , Comet Shoemaker levy 9 being the other one, due to not having any internet for a few weeks
What a great celebration thread
Thanks for starting it Suzy, it brought back great memories
Some great pics posted.
Cheers
I hadn't heard of the supernova before as it happened before I was into Astronomy. The documentary was fascinating and informative and I found myself absolutely glued to the screen.
It must have been such an awe inspiring sight to see and I can understand why you were so excited.
Ron,
Glad to have you back.
I can't believe you weren't here when this thread was running as I know it was one your most treasured astro memories. Oh well, I think the anniversary is good for a whole month as we got to enjoy it for weeks anyway.
Barb,
I'm so glad you enjoyed that documentary, certainly is a favourite of mine.
And thank you so much for the kind words- thanks to the wonderful contributions of some people on this thread, it sure has made the anniversary celebration a great one!
I'm really disappointed about something though
I wish I had realised that (of course!) Australian Sky & Telescope magazine would be running a 1987A anniversary article (which they did!). Greg Bryant spotted my pic on facebook that I got from Tom Harradine (posted here earlier on page 1 of the naked eye SN) and said pity it would have made a good addition for the anniversary article and then I realised whoa! Ian Coopers brilliant pic of the exploding SN (also shown here on this thread) would have just made their jaws drop. I got him to send it in anyway (which he has now) so am sure they'll use with glee in another issue some time. To see those pictures in the magazine sure would have helped make it so much more special! Drats wish I could rewind time. Wonder where I'll be for the 50th anniversary.. wonder if I'll still have my wits about me... I now have to remember those two pics for 25 years...
Sorry I missed the start of the SN1987A party Suzy! Great thread and great memories. I have found a couple of other pics of the Supernova and Comet Wilson in early May 1987 from Canberra. Both shot with a Petri Racer rangefinder camera, 45mm, f/2.8, 1000ASA, 30 sec (most probably )
Wow, hard to believe it has been 25 years.
I can remember being 11 standing in the backyard and looking up nightly to see it. Can even remember my kid-style attempts at making a telescope to see it better. One of those was attempting to use a CD as a mirror, with a bolt and nut thru the hole in an attempt to pull it to focus! It failed ofcourse! Haha.
Halley the previous year got me interested, but it was SN1987a and my childish attempts at building a telescope that got me hooked on astronomy.
Thank goodness for Photoshop-type programs these days.
Fresh in from Siding Spring Observatory- it's a good read....
They are soooo special and you even got Sandaleuk 
and all pics taken the old fashioned way thru film too 
Seriously, that is a great image 
Oh well, I think the anniversary is good for a whole month as we got to enjoy it for weeks anyway. 
I now have to remember those two pics for 25 years... 
