Supernovae

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Supernovae

• The beginning of an end.

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What Is a Supernova?

• By definition, a supernova is said to be A rare
  celestial phenomenon involving the explosion of
  most of the material in a star, resulting in an
  extremely bright, short lived object that emits
  vast amounts of energy.
• In other words to understand this vast explosion,
  a supernova is what comes from the end of a stars
  life from one of a few different situations, in
  which huge amounts of mass either implode or
  explode.

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Different Types of Supernovae

• The first type of supernova is simply called Type
  IA.
• Type IA supernovae are created from White Dwarf
  stars. In an average scenario, the White Dwarf
  has so much excess mass accumulating onto it that
  its core reaches a critical density. This
  abundance of mass derives a wild fusion of carbon
  and oxygen that causes the star to explode.
• The second type of supernova is called Type IIA.
• Type IIA supernovae are formed at the end of
  massive stars lifetimes, when the stars nuclear
  fuel has burned out and is no longer supported by
  the discharge of nuclear energy.
• If the stars iron core is immense enough, then
  it will collapse into itself and become a
  supernova.

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How Often Supernovae Occur

• Although supernovae are a popular subject in
  astronomy, they dont occur as often as they are
  mentioned in our galaxy.
• Many are spotted in nearby galaxies, but on
  average in our galaxy, supernovae occur about
  once a century.
• The last nearby supernova occurred in 1680.
• In 1987 there was a supernova explosion in the
  Large Magellanic Cloud, brother galaxy to the
  Milky Way.
• This supernova was named 1987A and is still
  visible in some hemispheres.

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Where Most of The Star Goes

• The core is a mere small center of a gigantic
  star.
• For millions of years, it has been making many of
  the elements found on Earth today.
• When a core collapses in, a vast blast wave is
  formed with the energy that breaks the stars
  atmosphere into interstellar space, driving the
  elements formed from the explosion outward as the
  star becomes a supernova remnant.

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