Researchers have found white dwarf stars with masses close to the maximum stable mass (called the Chandrasekhar mass) are likely to produce large amounts of manganese, iron, and nickel after it orbits ...

In November 1572, a brilliant new star appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia, shining so brightly that it was visible during the day. Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe carefully documented this ...

So, instead, supernovae are categorized by observed characteristics such as the light curves of how they brighten and fade ...

Supernova 2017cbv, on the outskirts of the spiral galaxy NGC 5643. Data are from the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Supernova Project and the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey. Credit: B.J. Fulton ...

Could the nearby star Sirius B explode as a type Ia supernova, like some other white dwarf stars in binary star systems have? Bruce Mason Encinitas, California A type Ia supernova occurs when a white ...

When most people hear the word supernova, they envision a massive star reaching the end of its life and exploding outwards to leave a ghostly remnant in its place. This is called a Type II supernova — ...

Astronomers have discovered evidence that could help solve a long standing dispute over the origin of Type Ia supernovae, by observing the youngest example of the titanic explosions located to date.

Astronomers find an explanation for the fastest stars in the galaxy while uncovering a new mechanism for a supernova explosion. Credit: Technion illustration Astronomers call a special kind of ...

For the first time, astronomers have caught a type Ia supernova being magnified by more than 50 times and split into four images in the night sky thanks to gravitational lensing. The discovery, ...

Type Ia supernovae result from a white dwarf exceeding 1.4 solar masses after accreting hydrogen from a companion star, leading to a thermonuclear explosion. The Sirius system contains a white dwarf ...