Tales Behind Supernova

What are Supernovae?

Supernovae are giant stars that die by giving off massive explosions. These explosions can be so large that they can be as bright as an entire galixy.

What causes these giant stars to explode?

When large stars start to run out of their feul, the gravitational forces that act against the nuclear structure of the core of the star create giant shock waves which blow away the outer layers of the star away from the core.

What happens after the explosion?

Most supernovae produce a gas cloud called a supernova remnant, which expands at a rate of 10,000 km/s. This expansion gradually slows as it gets farther away from the center of the explosion. The materials that are spread in this gas cloud seed nearby space with heavy elements and provide the necessary materials for new stellar formation.

What types of supernova are there?

There are two classes of supernovae. Type I involves two stars, a white dwarf and a larger start. The white dwarf's gravitational attraction is so large that it draws matter away from the larger star. When the dwarf has drained enough mass, it becomes unstable and gives off the larges explosion in the universe, the Type 1 Supernova.

The other class, Type II, which is also known as the Core Collapse supernova, involves gravitiational forces within a large star condensing the star's feul, hydrogen. While the gas condenses at the core, the temperature inside the star rises. Once this temperature is high enough, nuclear fusion starts. The star then goes through several stages of temperature increases, each being followed by another fusion reaction. During these reactions, smaller elements, such as hydrogen, are gradually fused into larger elements, such as helium and oxygen. During the final fusion, the core is turned into iron. By this time there is not enough energy left to continue fusion, so the iron core rapidly contracts in on itself. Because the entire universe abides by physics, the core can collapse only so far. The core then begins to heat up and expand. At the same time, the outer layers of the star are rushing in to fill the void caused by the core's collapse, and the core and the outer layers collide with eachother. This collision causes the outer layers to be blown away from the core, and produce the giant visible explosion.

Could our sun become a supernova?

There is no possible way that our sun could become a supernova. Not only is it not large enough to become a Type II supernova, it's not coupled with a nearby white dwarf to become a Type I supernova. Even if it had the chance to supernova, it will be about 5 billion years before its supply of hydrogen is depleted. At that time it will begin its dying process and eventually become a white dwarf with a surrounding shell of material much like the Ring Nebula (M57) in the constellation of Lyra!