SN 1987A was the first naked eye supernova since Kepler.s SN of 1604. In thelast few years, the blast wave has been interacting with the dense circumstellarmaterial, which provided us the first opportunity to monitor the evolution froma supernova to a supernova remnant. SNR 1987A is now entering a new evolutionstage. We expect to detect, for the first time, the X-ray emission from theshocked ejecta and the high-latitude material beyond the equatorial ring in thenearest future. This new information will allow us to deeper study the explosionmechanism and progenitor properties. It could be also important to look fornon-thermal X-rays related to the particle acceleration. Aiming at these newfeatures, we propose a 90 ks XMM-Newton observation of SNR 1987A.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2021-12-28T17:07:37Z/2021-12-29T18:35:57Z
Version
19.16_20210326_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Mr Lei Sun, 2023, 'Unveiling the latest evolution of SNR 1987A', 19.16_20210326_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-dcqkfeo
