A supernova is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen. Each blast is the extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a star. One type of supernova is caused by the “last hurrah” of a dying massive star. This happens when a star at least five times the mass of our sun goes out with a fantastic bang! Massive 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 exploded – and for the first time, we got a good look inside. When a massive star 2.2 billion light-years away reached the end of its life and exploded in a brilliant burst of light, astronomers analyzing the debris didn’t see the usual outer layers of hydrogen, helium, or oxygen. They saw silicon. Sulfur. Argon. Elements that normally lie buried deep inside a star’s core. This wasn’t supposed to be possible. According to stellar models, massive stars are built like onions. Hydrogen and h

Scientists captured the explosive death of a star at the exact moment when the blast was breaking through its surface. | Interstellar Traveller