Question: what is a supernova

Christina Schoettler answered on 26 Mar 2026:

A supernova is an event that happens at the end of the life of a star that is at least eight times more massive than our Sun. These big stars burn hotter than our Sun and live much less; they burn through their fuel of hydrogen and helium gas quickly, and when that is used up, they cannot keep themselves from destruction. When they run out of fuel, the balance between the radiation they produce and the gravity the material has is broken. The core at the centre collapses as it loses against gravity. This sends out a shockwave of material, which we see as an explosion. The material thrown out in this explosion is the source for a lot of the things we see around us.