The emergence of X-rays and gamma-rays from supernova 1987A

Attempts to arrive at a unified scenario for the optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray emission of SN 1987A are discussed. Theoretical spectra are in reasonable agreement with recent observations of hard X-rays by the Ginga and Mir satellites, but the early turn-on of X-rays suggests that the mantle and envelope may be 'leaky', perhaps as a result of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and clumping. The soft X-ray spectrum should be dominated by a 6.4 keV Fe K-alpha fluorescence line. The reported Ginga detection of 4-10 keV X-ray emission is also discussed.