A supernova is a massive exploding star. The birthplace of all stars are clouds of gas and dust that have slowly formed from atoms in space. Stars are born in groups.   Most of them break up; but others stay together because of gravity. The rest of a star’s life depends on how big it is.

Stars like our Sun have a lifespan of about 10,000 million years. Dwarf stars are smaller than the Sun and live longer. Giant stars that are larger than the Sun and supergiant stars, which are the biggest of all, have the shortest life of only a few million years.

Stars die when they run out of gas. When stars that are the size of our Sun or smaller die, they swell up and turn red. They are called red giants. They slowly puff their outer layer of gas out into space. This outer layer is called planetary nebulae. A white dwarf, a small almost dead star, is left. It is very heavy and dense and is about the size of a planet. If compared to a golf ball, it would be the size of a golf ball but weigh as much as a truck. A white dwarf generates huge gravity because it is so dense.   It eventually cools and fades.

Stars that are bigger than the Sun have an amazing death. They first swell up into enormous red stars. They are called red supergiants. They blow up with a gigantic explosion called a supernova.

The supernova leaves a rapidly expanding layer of dust and gases with a small spinning star in the middle. This small spinning star is called a neutron star. If you compare a neutron star to a white dwarf star, it is even heavier and denser. It would be the size of a golf ball but it would weigh as much as a skyscraper! Some neutron stars send out beams of radiation that swirl around as the star spins. These swinging stars are called pulsars.

Only eight supernova events are known to be recorded. The last one was visible on February 24, 1987. It was so bright that astronomers were able to study every wave length of the electromagnetic spectrum. This supernova was named SN1987A. The most famous supernova was recorded in 1054 by the Chinese. It was bright enough to be seen in the daylight. Today, we can still see its remains in Crab Nebula.

A supernova is a sweet type of star and I hope to see one someday!

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