A Second Bright Source Detected Near SN1987A

Speckle interferometry observations, made just 30 and 38 days after the explosion of supernova SN1987A (SN) (which was first seen on February 23, 1987), showed evidence for a bright source, separated from the SN by only 60 mas. Reprocessing of that data using new image reconstruction algorithms has resulted in much cleaner images which not only clearly show the bright spot reported in 1987, but also a 2nd spot on the opposite side of the SN with a larger spatial separation. If the spots were ejected from the SN then the velocities of the spots are relativistic and the 2nd spot appears to be superluminal and must be blue-shifted. We explore the consequences of these results on the geometry of the SN1987A system, and we conclude that our observations may well be evidence for a relativistic jet emanating from the supernova. Subject Headings: stars: supernovae: individual (SN1987A); techniques:interferometric; gamma rays: bursts