Novae and Supernovae
Sometimes a “new” star suddenly appears in the night sky — but it’s actually a dramatic stellar explosion.
A nova happens in a binary system, where two stars orbit each other. A large red giant can lose gas to its smaller, hotter companion. When enough gas builds up, it ignites in a powerful surface explosion, causing a brilliant burst of light.
A supernova is far more extreme. When a massive star runs out of fuel, its core collapses and then explodes in a colossal blast of energy. What remains is an incredibly dense core made mostly of neutrons. So dense, in fact, that a pinhead-sized amount would weigh thousands of tonnes on Earth.
Small flare or cosmic catastrophe — both are among the universe’s most spectacular events.
Sometimes a “new” star suddenly appears in the night sky — but it’s actually a dramatic stellar explosion.
A nova happens in a binary system, where two stars orbit each other. A large red giant can lose gas to its smaller, hotter companion. When enough gas builds up, it ignites in a powerful surface explosion, causing a brilliant burst of light.
A supernova is far more extreme. When a massive star runs out of fuel, its core collapses and then explodes in a colossal blast of energy. What remains is an incredibly dense core made mostly of neutrons. So dense, in fact, that a pinhead-sized amount would weigh thousands of tonnes on Earth.
Small flare or cosmic catastrophe — both are among the universe’s most spectacular events.
Novae and Supernovae
Sometimes a “new” star suddenly appears in the night sky — but it’s actually a dramatic stellar explosion.
A nova happens in a binary system, where two stars orbit each other. A large red giant can lose gas to its smaller, hotter companion. When enough gas builds up, it ignites in a powerful surface explosion, causing a brilliant burst of light.
A supernova is far more extreme. When a massive star runs out of fuel, its core collapses and then explodes in a colossal blast of energy. What remains is an incredibly dense core made mostly of neutrons. So dense, in fact, that a pinhead-sized amount would weigh thousands of tonnes on Earth.
Small flare or cosmic catastrophe — both are among the universe’s most spectacular events.
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