Predicted long-term evolution of SN 1987A over the next 5000 years based on model B18.3. The left panels show cross-sections of the mass density distribution (in log scale, in units of g cm^-3) in a plane perpendicular to the equatorial ring, passing through the explosion center, at four different epochs (see labeled times). The right panels present the corresponding synthetic thermal X-ray emission maps in the [0.5, 2.0] keV (on the left) and [3.0, 10.0] keV (on the right) bands, assuming an orientation consistent with that of SN 1987A. Each X-ray image is normalized to its maximum for visibility, and the maps are convolved with a Gaussian of 0.1 arcsec to approximate the spatial resolution of Chandra.