Why is supernova famous?
Today, astronomers distinguish two types of supernova: those involving white dwarfs, and those that are the explosions of very massive stars. Both types are responsible for creating and spreading new elements through space, which are the chemical building blocks for the next generation of stars and planets. The term supernova is derived from nova (Latin: “new”), the name for another type of exploding star.A supernova is the colossal explosion of a star. Scientists have identified several types of supernova. One type, called a “core-collapse” supernova, occurs in the last stage in the life of massive stars that are at least eight times larger than our Sun.A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion that marks the dramatic death of a massive star. When a star exhausts its nuclear fuel, its core collapses under gravity, triggering a catastrophic blast that ejects the outer layers into space.Observations of recent supernova remnants within the Milky Way, coupled with studies of supernovae in other galaxies, suggest that these powerful stellar explosions occur in our galaxy approximately three times per century on average.