Q&A: Supernova Remnants and Neutron Stars

Q:
Hi, I read the article "Impact! Chandra Images a Young Supernova Blast Wave" and have just one question. Will that blast affect us (on Earth)?

A:
Although Supernova 1987A was a spectacularly violent event, we are watching it from a safe distance of 160,000 light years. For a supernova to do real damage to us, it would have to occur at a distance of less than about a hundred light years, more than a thousand times closer than SN1987A.