Supernova 1987A Ring
This animation illustrates schematically the illumination of the central ring around
Supernova 1987A. The initial explosion illuminates the previously ejected ring by UV radiation.
As the UV fades, so does the brightness of the ring. However, as the expanding blast wave
reaches the ring it begins to glow again because of collisions between the rapidly expanding
blast and the more slowly expanding ring. This animation may be viewed as covering about a
10-20 year period following the supernova explosion and is intended to convey the basic idea
only. The details are probably much more complex.
Usage:
Click "Play" to begin and "Stop" to pause.
"Step" moves forward one step and "Back" moves backwards one step.
"Home" returns to the beginning from any point.