MAGNIFICENT CELESTIAL EXPLOSIONS ARE HAPPENING NOW

CELESTIAL EXPLOSIONS

Exploding stars, range from novas to supernovas to hypernovas. Recently, NASA has been capturing more beautiful images of these celestial explosions.

NOVA

A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion on a white dwarf, a result of the accelerating fusion of the accreted hydrogen on its surface.

Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way experiences from 30 to 60 novae per year.

Novae typically originate in binary systems containing sun-like stars, and produces gamma rays (magenta) through collisions among multiple shock waves as the shells of debris rapidly expand.

Spectroscopic observation of nova ejecta nebulae show them to be rich in elements such as helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, and magnesium.

SUPERNOVA

Supernovas are more brilliant than novas or even entire galaxies. They occur when a star’s core changes in one of two ways:

Supernovas are usually seen in other galaxies vs. our own Milky Way because the milky dust blurs our view. 

Astronomers identify two major types of supernovas:

Type 1 occurs in binary star systems, when a white dwarf pulls matter from its companion red giant. Once it reaches a tipping point, having pulled too much, the dwarf explodes into a supernova.

Type 2 occurs as a giant star runs out of nuclear fuel, its mass collapses into its core, resulting in a supernova explosion.

A supernova burns for only a short period of time, but it tells us a lot about the universe, including its exponential expansion rate.

Supernovas distribute elements throughout the universe, with stars shooting cosmic debris as they explode. Many of Earth’s elements came from the cores of other stars via supernova explosions.

Astronomers have classified supernovas according to their light curves and the absorption lines of different chemical elements that appear in their spectra.

Some of NASA’s telescopes are used to observe the visible light from supernova explosion. Others record data from the X-rays and gamma rays that are also produced. Both NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have captured magnificent images of supernovas.

The brightest observed supernova to date, ASASSN-15lh, was detected in June 2015. It is brighter than 570 billion Suns, twice as bright as the previous record holder.

SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVA (HYPERNOVA)

A hypernova, aka superluminous supernova (SLSN), is 5 to 50 times more energetic than a supernova. It is one of the most catastrophic events in the universe. Hypernovae are thought to be the origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts.

Hypernovae are produced by several different types of star explosions. One type, the collapsar hypernova, produces a black hole. 

Read more about Beautiful Explosions in How to Capture the Most Beautiful Fireworks Explosions, Beautiful Seed Bomb Explosions Can Help Save Our Planet Now,Secret Life Unfurls In Beautiful Exploding Edibles Now, The Art & Beauty of Explosions, From Whispers to Epic and Exploding Beauty is the Most Fleeting.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA Unveils Celestial Fireworks as Official Image for Hubble 25th Anniversary.
2. Image: Courtesy of NASA/ESA/JPL-CALTECH/UCLA/CXC/SAO. Multi-wavelength View of What Remains of the Oldest Documented Supernova RCW 86.
3. Image: by S. Wiessinger, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Nova.
4. Image: by Greg Stewart, of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Supernova.
5. Image: Courtesy of NASA, ESA, J. Hester & A. Loll, of Arizona State University. The Crab Nebula. A Pulsar Wind Nebula Associated with the 1054 Supernova.
6. Image: Courtesy of Chandra Observatory. Tycho Type 1a Supernova Remnant.
7. Image: Courtesy of Chandra Observatory. Type 2 Supernova.
8. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/Rutgers/K. Eriksen et al. Tycho Supernova Remnant.
9. Image: Courtesy of Chandra Observatory. Supernova G299.
10. Image: Courtesy of NASA/ESA/HEIC & The Hubble Heritage Team. Supernova Remnant N 63A.
11. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/Morehead State Univ/T. Pannuti et al.,NASA/JPL-Caltech; & NRAO/VLA/Argentinian Institute of Radioastronomy/G. Dubner. Supernova G352.
12. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/Rutgers/J.Hughes & NASA/STScI. Supernova SNR E0519-69.0. ASASSN-15lh.
13. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/M.Weiss. NASA's Artist Impression of SN 2006gy, one of the most luminous Hypernovae.
14. Image: Courtesy of NASA & Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) & R. Fesen (Dartmouth) & J. Morse (Univ. of Colorado). Superluminous Supernova in the Constellation Cassiopeia.
15. Image: Courtesy of NASA/ESA/Hubble. Supernova. The Butterfly Nebula.
16. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/MIT/L.Lopez et al & NSF/NRAO/VLA. Supernova Remnant W49B.
17. Image: by BN App - Download now!
18. Image: Courtesy of NASA/CXC/SAO/F. Seward & NASA/ESA/ASU/J. Hester & A. Loll & NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. Minn./R. Gehrz. Type 1 Supernova. Multiwavelength image of Crab Nebula.