Abstract
We present observations of supernova remnant SN 1987A made with the Hubble Space Telescope. The bright spot previously observed on the inner circumstellar ring by the Wide Field/Planetary Camera at a position angle ≈ 31° has brightened by nearly a factor of 2 in seven months. Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) spectra confirm that this spot is the result of a ∼ 300 km s-1 shock entering the inner circumstellar ring at the first point of contact by the supernova blast wave. High-velocity (≈ 15,000 km s-1) Lyα and Hα emission are apparent in the STIS spectra as well. This emission comes in part from neutral hydrogen in the debris crossing a reverse shock located at ≈ 75% of the radius of the inner boundary of the inner circumsteller ring and confined within ±30° of the equatorial plane.
Export citation and abstract BibTeX RIS