The Star That Refused to Fade; The 37-Year Mystery of Supernova 1987A

Our speaker this month is Lealahni Woulfe.

In February 1987, a supernova exploded in a nearby galaxy, but hours before the light arrived, detectors caught 25 mysterious particles called neutrinos. These “ghost particles” told us something extraordinary should be left behind at the heart of the explosion. It took 37 years to find it. Come along to explore the astrophysics of stellar death, the incredible 1987 neutrino detection, and how the James Webb Space Telescope finally solved the mystery in 2024.

Lealahni is a medical student at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, fascinated by the intersection between neuroscience and physics. Originally planning to become a theoretical particle physicist, she has pursued this passion through years of volunteering at the South Downs Planetarium alongside research projects at the University of Sussex, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and PTB Berlin.

While medicine and neuroscience now occupy most of her time, she still finds any excuse to spend evenings under the stars. After all, some fascinations never fade.