Hubble Sees the Eerie Glow of a Dead Star
This newly released Hubble image of the Crab Nebula shows the eerie glow of a dead star, which exploded long ago as a supernova. But…
Supernova News
Chandra Captures Expanding Debris from a Stellar Explosion
By combining the Chandra data with 30 years worth of observations, scientists have made a movie of the evolution of Tycho’s supernova remnant. When the…
Astronomers Identify Likely Trigger for Milky Way’s Youngest Supernova
Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the NSF’s Jansky Very Large Array, astronomers have determined the likely trigger for the most recent supernova in the…
Scientists Discover a Binary Companion for a Type Ia Supernova
A newly published study details evidence for the interaction between a normal Type Ia supernova and a non-degenerate binary companion. A team of astronomers including…
Astronomers Image the Expanding Shell of Supernova SN 2011dh
Using precise radio imaging techniques, astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have determined the size of the shock around supernova SN 2011dh and estimated…
Hubble Telescope Views Shrapnel from the Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant
New images from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal in great detail a small section of the expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about…
Ten Facts About Supernovae
Here are ten facts about supernovae that you may have not known. Somewhere in the cosmos, a star is reaching the end of its life….
Astronomers Discover Supernovae in ‘Wrong Place at Wrong Time’
A new analysis of 13 supernovae is helping to reveal how some young stars exploded sooner than expected, hurling them to a lonely place far…
A New Class of Magnetar-Powered Supernova
ESO’s La Silla and Paranal Observatories have demonstrated for the first time a link between a very long-lasting burst of gamma rays and an unusually…
15 Breathtaking Hubble Images of Supernova Remnant Nebulae
When a star explodes in a supernova, it leaves behind massive clouds of interstellar dust, gas, and plasma. Pictures of these supernova remnant nebulae can…
Hubble Confirms Exiled Stars Exploded in Intergalactic Space
Data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has helped confirm that three supernovae exploded in the dark emptiness of intergalactic space, having been flung from their…
Kepler and Swift Capture Early Moments of Baby Supernovae
NASA’s Kepler and Swift spacecraft provides new insight into what triggers a Type Ia supernova, allowing astronomers to better calibrate Type Ia supernovae as standard…
NASA’s NuSTAR Finds Evidence of a Lopsided Star Explosion
By mapping the radioisotope titanium-44, NASA’s NuStar reveals evidence of an asymmetrical explosion from supernova 1987A and helps to explain the mechanics of SN 1987A…
Astronomers Reveal “Missing-Link” in the Supernova-GRB Connection
A newly published study details the “missing link” between supernova explosions that generate gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and those that don’t. Astronomers using the National Science…
Suzaku X-ray Satellite Reveals Pre-Explosion Mass of a White Dwarf Star
A newly published study reveals that supernova remnant 3C 397 is the remains of a single white dwarf that accumulated matter from a normal companion…
New Findings Will Help Light the Way to Understanding Dark Energy
Astronomers used data from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer to analyze several sites where dead stars once exploded, revealing that the Type Ia supernovae affiliated with…
SOFIA Reveals Missing Link Between Supernovae and Planet Formation
A newly published study reveals that supernovae are capable of producing enough material to form planets. Using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), an…
Classical Nova Explosion Could Have Big Impact
Astronomers used data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory to observe the differences in GK Persei over a span of nearly 14 years, providing clues to…