Essay Archive - Supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a STAR that explodes. It suddenly increases in
brightness by a factor of many billions, and within a few weeks it slowly
fades. In terms of the human lifespan, such explosions are rare occurrences.
In our Milky Way galaxy, for example, a supernova may be observed every few
hundred years. Three such explosions are recorded in history: in 1054, in
1572, and in 1604. The CRAB NEBULA consists of material ejected by the
supernova of 1054. Such materials, known as supernova remnants, are common
in the heavens.
The supernovas observed in modern times have all occurred in other
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