Supernovae

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Supernovae are extremely powerful and luminous stellar explosions and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this short interval a supernova can radiate as much energy as the Sun is expected to emit over its entire life span. The explosion expels much or all of a star's material at a velocity of up to 30,000 km/s (10% of the speed of light), driving a shock wave into the surrounding interstellar medium. Learn more about supernovae, their causes and effects as well as their role in the universe in this book.