Nova and Supernova Explosions
A student asks: Why is it that some stars supernova and other stars end with a small-scale nova explosion? The answer: That which differentiates the great cataclysmic explosion of a supernova from the relatively minuscule explosion that astronomers call a nova is a function of the star’s primary mass. A star like our Sun does not carry enough mass to supernova. Blue and red giant stars do contain plenty of mass to become a supernova. Antares in Scorpio and Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion are examples of massive stars that will inevitably go supernova. Antares is so gigantic that if you superimposed this star against our own solar system, Antares would be larger than the orbit of the planet Mars. Generally speaking, massive stars actually burn cooler than those smaller stars like the Sun. In determining the type of the explosion of a dying star, astrophysicists look at the age and size of the star. This is why our <a href=”http://www.wpo.net/galaxies”>name a star program is so exciting. You never know when a participant in the program has adopted a galaxy that bears a star that passes supernova. This sort of event would be big astronomical news!Learn more about how to name a star for yourself, a friend or a loved one at Windowpane Observatory, where astronomers carry out research into novas, supernovas and earth-bound asteroids.