I will present the light curve of the ejecta of SN 1987A
measured from HST 
observations spanning the past 17 years. The light curve
shows that the flux declined 
up to around year 2001, but then started to increase,
reaching a level more than twice 
as high in 2010. The declining phase is well modelled by
radioactive decay of 44Ti, but a 
new energy source is needed to explain the late time
brightening. I will show that the 
brightening is due to illumination of the ejecta by X-rays
from the circumstellar ring 
interaction. I will also discuss the observed morphology of
the ejecta and how this is 
affected by the X-ray illumination.