Supernova 1987A was the brightest and closest supernova in the last 400 years and consequently is one of the most studied objects in the Universe. About 20 neutrinos from the formation of the neutron star were detected on Earth. SN1987A was very peculiar in its light curve and especially the properties of the progenitor star, which was a blue supergiant surrounded by three nebular rings. The leading explanation is that the supernova progenitor experienced binary star merger ~20 000 years before the supernova explosion. In the past few years there have been stellar mergers witnessed in real time and these events have been modelled in great detail. The goal of this project is to re-interpret the observations of SN1987A in the light of new evidence on stellar mergers using (radiation) hydrodynamical simulations.
