Novas and Supernovas: What Is the Difference?
This week’s question: Why is it that some stars supernova while other stars have a smaller explosion called a nova?
The answer: What differentiates the enormous cataclysmic explosion of a supernova from the relatively minuscule nova explosion has to do with the star’s original mass prior to the explosion. A G-class star like our Sun isn’t massive enough to supernova. Blue and red giant stars do have enough mass to explode supernova. Antares, for example, is so enormous that if you superimposed it against our own solar system, it would be larger in diameter than the total orbit of the planet Mars. Interestingly, these massive stars actually burn cooler than little stars like the Sun. So in determining the kind of explosion a dying star will produce, astrophysicists look at the age and size of the star and then they can reasonably predict when the star will explode and how large that explosion will be. Our name a star program is interesting for people because if a nova or supernova occur in their galaxies, it will be substantial science news. Learn more about how to name a star at Windowpane Observatory, where astronomers carry out research into novas, supernovas and asteroids headed toward Earth.
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