Type Ia supernovae are thought to be born when an exceedingly dense star called a white dwarf receives more mass from a nearby star, until it's so 'overwhelmed' that it explodes.
Simon, D. Mission Moon 3-D. Try this!
Many stars cool in later life to end their days as white dwarfs and, later, black dwarfs. They're also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.
However, if the original star was so massive that its strong stellar wind had already blown off the hydrogen from its atmosphere by the time of the explosion, then it too will not show hydrogen spectral lines.
Understanding their evolution, in turn, can greatly enhance our ability to measure distances throughout the cosmos and map its evolution and geometry. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists.
Size Matters: Be Amazed How Little You Knew About Universe: From Tiniest Speck To Biggest StarThese findings constitute a major step toward determining the nature of all stellar 'donors,' with the ultimate goal of establishing whether supernovae everywhere evolve in the same manner, having the same luminosity at various stages. Astro stuff galore at the Swap and Sell.
Story Source: That is the force that powers the Sun, controls Earth's climate and sustains life. If the star's iron core is massive enough, it will collapse and become a supernova.
The photo on the left was taken in 1987 during the supernova explosion of SN 1987A, while the right hand photo was taken beforehand. Are all these explosions indeed created equal? These result from some binary star systems in which a carbon-oxygen white dwarf is accreting matter from a companion.
Have a news tip, correction or comment? Where does the core go? The new supernova was dubbed SN 2008D.