David

Due to its age and close proximity, the remnant of SN 1987A is the only supernova remnant in which we can study the early developmental stages in detail, providing insight into stellar evolution, the mechanisms of the supernova explosion, and the transition from supernova to supernova remnant as the debris begins to interact with the surrounding circumstellar medium (CSM). We present the latest results from 16 years of Chandra ACIS observations of SN 1987A, now covering 4600 – 10600 days after the supernova. At approximately day 7500, the east-west asymmetry of the ring began to reverse, while the soft X-ray light curve switched from an exponential increase to a linear brightening. Since day 9700 the soft X-ray light curve has flattened and remained approximately constant at about 8E-12 ergs/cm2/s, evidence that the blast wave has now left the dense material of the known equatorial ring and is beginning to probe the unknown territory beyond.