Supernova

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A supernova is a large explosion that takes place at the end of a star's life cycle.


Large stars burn huge amounts of nuclear fuel at their cores, or centers. This produces tons of energy, so the center gets very hot. Heat generates pressure, and the pressure created by a star’s nuclear burning also keeps that star from collapsing. A star is in balance between two opposite forces. The star’s gravity tries to squeeze the star into the smallest, tightest ball possible. But the nuclear fuel burning in the star’s core creates strong outward pressure. This outward push resists the inward squeeze of gravity.


When a star runs out of fuel, it cools off. This causes the pressure to drop, and gravity overtakes the star, and the star collapses. The collapse happens so quickly that it creates enormous shock waves that cause the outer part of the star to explode. Usually, a dense core is left behind, along with an expanding cloud of hot gas called a nebula. A supernova of a star more than about 10 times the size of our sun sometimes leaves one of the densest objects in the universe: black holes.


A second type of supernova can happen in systems where two stars orbit one another and at least one of those stars is an Earth-sized star called a "white dwarf."
A white dwarf is what's left after a star the size of our sun has run out of fuel. If one white dwarf collides with another, or pulls too much matter from its nearby star, the white dwarf can explode.