Abstract
THE supernova SN1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud has been observed by high-angular-resolution speckle interferometry since 25 March (30 days after the explosion) with the 4-m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. These observations have provided a number of results that may be central to a detailed understanding of this unique event. Data obtained on 25 March and 2 April 1987 revealed a second bright 'companion' source separated from the supernova by 60 milliarcseconds and less than three magnitudes fainter than the supernova1. Measurements of the average diameter of the supernova envelope have been made from data recorded from March 1987 to April 19882. Here we present a more detailed analysis of these data, which shows that the expanding envelope is asymmetric. This asymmetry has been observable since June 1987. The ratio between the minor and major axes of the envelope profile is about 2–3, and the position angle of the major axis is 20° ± 5°, consistent with results reported from polarization measurements. The major axis is aligned with the position angle of the companion to the supernova.
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Papaliolios, C., Karovska, M., Koechlin, L. et al. Asymmetry of the envelope of supernova 1987A. Nature 338, 565–566 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/338565a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/338565a0
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