Britannica Sources used in this answer

When did Supernova 1987A reach its greatest brightness?

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Supernova Composite image of Kepler's Nova, or Kepler's Supernova, taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Supernova 1987A reached its greatest brightness in May 1987, attaining a magnitude of approximately 2.9. Following this peak, the object's luminosity slowly declined over the subsequent months.1