Supernova: The Largest Explosion That Takes Place in Space

The universe is quite diverse and a lot of things happen; most of which we get to know about while others remain a mystery. One of these events is the Supernova.

A supernova is basically the explosion of a star. According to NASA, a supernova happens to be the "largest explosion that takes place in space." This explosion is said to be destructive on a scale beyond human imagination. If our planet was to get caught up in such an explosion, the results would certainly be catastrophic.

How Does a Supernova Form?

The core of all stars, including our sun’s, convert hydrogen (main fuel supply) into helium in a process known as Nuclear Fusion. This is the actual process that makes stars shine so brightly.

After burning for billions of years, a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel supply which ceases the nuclear fusion process. When this happens, a powerful pull of gravity pulls the star inwards, and it begins to collapse. This as a result creates a huge shockwave, leading to a massive explosion, otherwise known as a supernova.

Upon exploding, the star usually has reached its end life and ends up becoming either a neutron star (for medium stars), a white dwarf (for smaller stars), or a black hole (for larger stars). The explosion can radiate more energy than our sun would in its entire lifetime and also briefly outshine almost all galaxies.

How a star’s life comes to an end usually depends on its mass. Some stars have enough masses to explode while others like our sun do not have enough mass. Therefore, chances of the sun exploding are minimal and even if it does, its damage to the earth wouldn’t be as catastrophic as other stars.

Two Ways in Which a Star Can Go Supernova

There are two ways in which a star can go supernova.

One, the star continuously absorbs or steals matter from a companion star. Eventually, the star accumulates too much matter which causes it to explode and results in a supernova.

The second scenario occurs at the final moments of a single star’s lifetime. This is where the star exhausts its hydrogen fuel supply, causing some of its mass to flow into its core due to the pull of gravity.

Eventually, the core collapses due to inability to withstand its own gravitational force. As the core collapses, a massive explosion occurs.

Where do Supernovas Take Place?

Most supernovas are observed in other galaxies. According to astronomers, it’s difficult to view them in our Milky Way Galaxy as dust blocks the view.

However, Johannes Kepler discovered the last observed supernova in our galaxy in 1604. A recent discovery by NASA’s Chandra telescope discovered the remains of a more recent supernova which occurred more than 100 years ago in the Milky Way.

Earlier observed supernovas include the SN 185 which was observed by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD, SN 1006, and SN 1054.

There have been more recent observations such as the SN 2008D.

The universe is quite a fascinating place and watching supernovas as they happen can be a thrilling experience. With a telescope, one might end up discovering one huge star explosion.

Otherwise, supernovas do reveal a lot about the universe- that it’s continually expanding and growing at an increasing rate with so many changes happening in the process.