Happy birthday, supernova. [1987A]

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Sky Telesc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5275931

Schorn, R A

The advances in understanding that have been made concerning SN 1987A in the year since it appeared are reviewed. The rapidity of the initial rise in brightness and the relatively faint absolute magnitude during the first few weeks have been found to be due to the progenitor star's being a blue giant, relatively small compared to a red giant. The nitrogen lines in the spectrum are evidence that the star was once a red giant whose stellar wind was so strong that the resulting loss of material converted the star into a blue giant. The variations in the light curve of the supernova are explained in terms of the radioactive decay of Ni-56 and Co-56 and the interaction of the resulting gamma rays with the debris cloud. Some of the remaining unanswered questions are summarized.

• OSTI ID: 5275931
• Journal Information: Sky Telesc.; (United States), Vol. 75
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
SUPERNOVAE
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM
RED GIANT STARS
SHOCK WAVES
STELLAR WINDS
DIAGRAMS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
GALAXIES
GIANT STARS
SPECTRA
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
VARIABLE STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources