Supernova 1987A - A review

Abstract

Supernova 1987A, the first supernova since the time of Kepler to reach naked-eye visibility, was discovered on February 24, 1987, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This has naturally been of great interest to astronomers. The proximity and the brightness of this supernova has made possible a very detailed study of its properties. Its behavior in course of time has been quite unique, unlike all other supernovae known so far. In this review the results of various observations of SN 1987A are summarized, and their implications discussed.