Supernova |
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A supernova is a thermonuclear catastrophe that may engulf a star that has reached the white dwarf stage with several solar masses. Such explosions are rare - fortunately for us - because for a short time a supernova shines with the light of a galaxy. An event close to us would end life on Earth.
A naked eye supernova occurred in the larger Magellanic Cloud in 1987. The editor remembers looking at the single point of light - thinking that that was the most distant single object he would ever see. |
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Supernova are used as standard candles for distance estimates. > More |
Distant
galaxy
Two
weeks later