A supernova is an extremely powerful explosion that accompanies the death of a massive star. Supernovae can temporarily outshine entire galaxies and radiate more energy than our sun would in its entire lifetime. In addition, they are the universe’s principal supplier of heavy materials. Supernovae are the “biggest explosions that occur in space,” according to NASA.
When Was The First Supernova Discovered?
Long before the telescope was constructed in the 17th century, a variety of civilizations documented supernovae. RCW 86, discovered by Chinese astronomers in the year 185 A.D., is the oldest known supernova. According to NASA’s archives, this “guest star” was visible for eight months.
The Crab Nebula(opens in new tab), possibly the most well-known supernova, was discovered in 1054 by Chinese and Korean astronomers.
According to rock paintings uncovered in Arizona and New Mexico, Native Americans may have witnessed it as well. The Crab Nebula’s supernova was so bright that it could be seen during the day by those early scientists.
Other supernovae seen before the invention of the telescope were in the years 393, 1006, 1181, 1572 (examined by astronomer Tycho Brahe), and 1604. In his work “De nova stella,” Brahe described his observations of the “new star,” giving rise to the term “nova.”
Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky of Mount Wilson Observatory used the term “supernova” to describe an explosive event they witnessed in the Andromeda Galaxy dubbed S Andromedae (also known as SN 1885A). Supernovas are thought to occur when regular stars collapse into neutron stars, according to experts.
How does Supernova Happen?
When the pressure inside a huge star drops low enough, gravity takes over and the star collapses in seconds. The result of this collapse is a supernova explosion.
What Happens During A Supernova?
Supernovae are so massive that they produce new atomic nuclei. When a big star collapses, a shockwave is created, which might cause fusion reactions in the star’s outer shell. Nucleosynthesis is the process by which these fusion processes produce new atomic nuclei. Supernovae are thought to be one of the Universe’s first suppliers of elements heavier than iron.
Even the iron in our blood can be traced back to supernovae or other cosmic explosions that occurred far before our Sun. As a result, supernovae are necessary for life to exist.
What is the Cause of a Supernova?
When the core, or centre, of a star changes, a supernova occurs. A star could go into supernova in one of two ways:
Star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbor until uncontrollable nuclear reaction ignites.
The star runs out of nuclear fuel and falls down under its own gravity.
A binary star system produces the earliest type of supernova. Two stars orbiting the same position are known as binary stars. A carbon-oxygen white dwarf, one of the stars, steals matter from its companion star. The white dwarf eventually gathers too much matter. When a star has too much matter, it explodes, resulting in a supernova.
Significance Of Supernova Research
Scientists are interested in supernovas for a variety of reasons. A supernova lasts only a few minutes, yet it can reveal a lot about the universe.
Scientists have discovered that we live in an expanding universe that is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. Supernovas are also thought to play a role in the distribution of components throughout the cosmos. When a star explodes, particles and debris are launched into space. Many of the elements found on Earth come from the cores of stars. These elements go on to produce new stars, planets, and the rest of the universe.
What Methods Do NASA Scientists Use To Search for Supernovas?
Supernovas are discovered and studied by NASA scientists using a variety of telescopes. The visible light from the explosion is observed using telescopes. Others collect information from the X-rays and gamma rays that are also generated. Images of supernovas have been taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
NASA launched the first orbiting telescope in the high-energy area of the electromagnetic spectrum in June 2012. The NuSTAR mission includes a variety of tasks to complete. It will search for black holes and collapsed stars. It will also look for the remnants of supernovas. Scientists seek to gain a better understanding of how stars explode and the elements generated by supernovas.
How Do Stars Die?
There are two ways a star can die. They are the type I and type II supernova.
Type I Supernovae
Type I supernovae feature no hydrogen in their light spectra and are thought to emanate from a white dwarf binary star system (opens in new tab). The white dwarf becomes increasingly squeezed as the gas from the partner star accumulates on it, eventually igniting a runaway nuclear reaction within the white dwarf that results in a dramatic supernova explosion.
Because all Type Ia supernovae are thought to blaze with similar brightness at their peaks, astronomers use them as “standard candles” to estimate cosmic distances.
Type Ib and Ic supernovae, like Type II supernovae, undergo core-collapse, although they have lost much of their outer hydrogen layer. In 2014, astronomers discovered a Type Ib supernova’s dim, hard-to-find companion star. Because the companion star glowed far fainter than the spectacular supernova, the search took two decades.
Type II Supernovae
A star must be several times more massive than the sun to explode as a Type II supernova (estimates range from eight to fifteen solar masses). It will eventually run out of hydrogen and then helium fuel at its core, just like the sun. It will, however, have sufficient mass and pressure to fuse carbon.
The star then forms onion-like layers of material, with heavier materials building up towards the core and lighter elements building up toward the periphery.
The star’s core begins to disintegrate once it reaches a certain mass (known as the Chandrasekhar limit). These Type-II supernovae are also called core-collapse supernovae because of this.