Recent Results on SN 1987A

Abstract

AbstractSeveral critical issues recently raised by observations of SN 1987A are addressed. These include: 1) the evolution of the pre-supernova star, why it was blue, what its composition and core structure were; 2) the detailed isotopic composition of the ejecta; 3) why and to what extent the supernova composition was mixed in velocity space; 4) the interpretation of recently observed infrared lines, especially their profiles and the existence of red-shifted ‘wings’; and 5) what has become of the neutron star.