The matter beyond the ring: the recent evolution of SN 1987A observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

Abstract

The nearby SN 1987A offers a spatially resolved view of the evolution of a young supernova remnant. Here we precent recent Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations of SN 1987A, which we use to study the evolution of the ejecta, the circumstellar equatorial ring (ER) and the increasing emission from material outside the ER. We find that the inner ejecta have been brightening at a gradually slower rate and that the western side has been brighter than the eastern side since ~7000 days. This is expected given that the X-rays from the ER are most likely powering the ejecta emission. At the same time the optical emission from the ER continues to fade linearly with time. The ER is expanding at 680\pm 50 km/s, which reflects the typical velocity of transmitted shocks in the dense hotspots. A dozen spots and a rim of diffuse H-alpha emission have appeared outside the ER since 9500 days. The new spots are more than an order of magnitude fainter than the spots in the ER and also fade faster. We show that the spots and diffuse emission outside the ER may be explained by fast ejecta interacting with high-latitude material that extends from the ER toward the outer rings. Further observations of this emission will make it possible to determine the detailed geometry of the high-latitude material and provide insight into the formation of the rings and the mass-loss history of the progenitor.

Accepted for publication in ApJ

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Cited by in corpus (12)

• The role of jets in exploding supernovae and in shaping their remnants
• JWST NIRSpec observations of Supernova 1987A -- from the inner ejecta to the reverse shock
• A 3D Simulation of a Type II-P Supernova: from Core Bounce to Beyond Shock Breakout
• Final Spitzer IRAC Observations of the Rise and Fall of SN 1987A
• The Late Time Optical Evolution of Twelve Core-Collapse Supernovae: Detection of Normal Stellar Winds
• Latest Evolution of the X-Ray Remnant of SN 1987A: Beyond the Inner Ring
• High-cadence Dispersed Spectral Analysis of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• The morphology of the ejecta of SN 1987A at 31 years from 1150 to 10000 Å
• Mid-infrared imaging of Supernova 1987A
• Polarized radio emission unveils the structure of the pre-supernova circumstellar magnetic field and the radio emission in SN1987A
• Near-infrared evolution of the equatorial ring of SN 1987A
• The position of SN 1987A