Exploring The Large Magellanic Cloud

On February 24, 1987, supernova 1987A occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which was the nearest observed supernova since Keplers, which occured before the invention of the telescope.

Atlas of The Universe should provide you with some info (from what I could gather, it looks like it might be the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy).

If this is the 3rd closest galaxy, what is the closest? Andromeda is 2 1/2 million light years away, being the nearest spiral galaxy, and the largest in our local group.

But what is the name of the closest galaxy to us? Thanks for any info!!

Love this!!

Well, if you had an enormous mirror at 1 LY away from the earth, and it was oriented properly, you could point a space telescope at it and you would be viewing a reflected scene from 2 years past. Its pretty interesting when you think about how the information from an event is literally broadcast outwards into space. Given the technology, yes - travelling a billion LY to set up a mirror or just viewing the past using yet-unknown physics probably require the same level of technology.

from wiki- 'A light echo is a phenomenon observed in astronomy. Analogous to an echo of sound, a light echo is produced when a sudden flash or burst of light, such as that observed in novae, is reflected off a source and arrives at the viewer some time after the initial flash.'