What is a Supernova?

In terms of language word supernova consists of the word "super" and "Nova" the meaning of super based on the super dictionary "Collins Cobuild Advanced Leaner's Dictionary" which means something in life to identify the quality and very much. And word “nova” based on dictionary words " Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English of ", which means a star that exploded and suddenly become brighter than normal for a short time. While supernova is a term stars explode because it ran out of fuels used to make nuclear fusion reaction that is a proponent of a star. Balancing their own pressure to exit from the style pull the mass large. Supernova energy that emanated with the stars during a broadcast to millions of billions of years.

For some types of astronomy supernova used to observe about the distance or the age of a galaxy. The explosion, which each stars which had it will be different each other, depending on the initial mass before the explosion. If the big, it will be possible occurrence of a black hole that can absorb everything around it, and opposite it if the explode star is tiny will a neutron star.

Supernova can also destroy life around, although the distance is very far, this has happened in the earth around the year 444 million years ago, namely in the Ordovician period, is due to gamma rays produced by the explosion of supernova impact to earth, although supernova affected 10 seconds will make the earth I hasn’t a layer atmosphere for ten years. Therefore, at the end of that era lives on the plains to be destroyed, and life at sea remain intact. But the massive variable star Eta Carinae that narrow with our galaxy may be preparing to explode as a giant supernova, cause it thought 100 times the mass of sun. It is currently shedding its outer layer in giant eruptions, and the surround galaxy like Milky Way, Andromeda can destroy.

B.The types of Supernova explosion

Divided into two perspectives, if the first is viewed from the line that indicates the spectrum of harmful chemical also contained temperatures during the explosion and the way the stars themselves explode, discussions as follows:

1.Based on spectrum line

Type 1a

It is an explosion of a star that has evolved with the information or called white dwarfs stars and not make nuclear fusion, but generally is a blend between the carbon-oxygen even release more energy when the temperature increases.
The explosion is divided into two mechanisms from two mechanisms of the star system, the first is the system of white dwarf stars with stars like sun, due to gravity white dwarf star, is bigger than material of solar size sun, so the material is absorbed then from this absorption exceeding the limit value (constant) Chandrasekhar or have exceeded the maximum limit of white dwarf stars.

Rays are produced from this type is very bright, also a measuring tool for astronomy to measure the distance and age of a galaxy known as the candle light in the darkness outside space. From the observation that the progress of the explosion would produce a supernova thermonuclear explosion.

In the second mechanism is derived from the pair of white dwarf stars that are merging with the radiation gravity will draw from time to time. In other words, the star will move diaphragm one another and eventually join. Due to exceed the Chandrasekhar limit (1.4 times the mass sun), the pressure in the center will reach the threshold limit for carbon and oxygen nuclei to start the controlled burning is not on and the blast become begining of occurence trigger thermonuclear explosion, and in the explosion is not found the Hydrogen spectrum line during observation.

Type 1b

Supernova this type will occur if the supply of Hydrogen on the star 20 times or more from the mass of the sun with a star called Wolf rayet, the result of this explosion can be gamma rays.
And during the observation in this type of supernova is not found hydrogen or helium spectrum line.


Type 2
This explosion came from a star explosion the mass is eight times greater than the sun, the energy produced from fusion Hydrogen to helium produce heat in the core star. The pressure that occur in the star's core function to compensate for balancing with its gravitation.

This giant star also known as the hydrostatic Equilibrium gravity where the stars can be balanced with the pressure in core of the star.

Helium accrued during millions of years in a star if the stars do not have enough temperature to do helium fusion and when hydrogen empty cause pressure to the core become weaken, can not result in longer maintain the gravity again. Then the star increase the temperature and begin the stages to doing explosion.

In a star similar to the two-time merger-carbon, which is slightly after the fall core, will increase the temperature which allows it to react again, so that the fusion of carbon reaction both those elements, heavy iron.

Because supernova element is the explosion occurred due to the elements iron cannot make the atoms in star, so that it cannot fusion reactions, consequently, the addition of a very high temperature will cause a supernova explosion. In this observation from the explosion appeared to be a line Hydrogen spectrum.

G.Based on Explosion Mechanism

Classification of supernova based on star energy source:

A.Supernova Thermonuclear
It is an explosion of a tiny star. The Star has many additional layer of from near star in binary star system, originating from the star with advance envolve or white dwarf star, comes from the double-star system (binary system), are not leaving any material from the explosion and the energy for burning comes from carbon and oxygen. It is estimated (star) the sun will experience this process for embraced billion future years because the sun will become a white dwarf star that density density is 1.5 higher than sun and has a measurement of earth size.

This explosion equal supernova explosion type 1a, a reference to the theory expanding universe because the resulted light very bright than the other supernova explosion.

B. Supernova "Collapsed Core"
The explosion came from difference stars from supernova thermonuclear, is as follows: originating from the star which has large mass, comes from big star layer and srill burning hydrogen inside, derived from a single star system (the same as supernova explosion type 2) and from the system binary (same as supernova explosion type 1b/1c ), the result of the explosion is a material that is solid black holes and neutron stars, and explosion comes from the way pressure.

The shape of the hypernova explosion (explosion greater than ordinary supernova), due to have a very large mass (100 times the mass of the sun). The explosion of this type of star will become a black hole.

D. Supernova Observation
In recorded history that the early commencement of research from supernova came from Chinese history and Korean. Supernova 186 BC is the first documentation in the observated supernova in the Milky Way. Supernova, which occurred in the year 1006 M is probably the most bright of the ever, shine entire galaxy for several months from the explosion.

Supernova happen in the year 1054 M is one of supernova, which can be observed directly by the astronomy in the Arab and Chinese, leaving a remnant debris shaped crab nebula. Supernova Tycho Brahe, which occurred on 11 November 1572 was found by a astronomer Tycho Brahe comes from the French who became one of the defenders of the solar system by creating a tool instrument called a solar system astrolabe from the results of the observations of an object that is getting more light to be views on the day with a description of fact that overlap Venus blogosphere, and then calls them the "Nova" and the rays from the star is the more overcast until March 1574, and the word "Nova" a term for the explosion of a star.

When stars explode, the shining can increase hundred untill thousan brighter than normal (before the explosion). brightness maximum occurred hours and can count on overcast days the next.

Supernova the Tycho Brahe carefully is the type 1a popular with the bright. Johannes Kepler Supernova occurred about 1,604 years old. Supernova 1572 and 1604 is the last supernova can be seen with the naked eye near the Milky Way galaxy.
Progress since then the tool telescopes stars on the year 1885 may see the astronomical Andromeda supernova explosion that occurred in the Andromeda galaxy. And for the next in the 20th century astronomy can be classifying the explosion supernova also the development of stars from nebula until supernova.

Supernova 1987A supernova explosion, which is found by the first space telescope (Hubble telescope) and this supernova become the first that can be recorded and learned, supernova is a distance of 170,000 light years from earth the explosion are in the cloud Megallanic which can be seen from the southern hemisphere, surprising that many researchers from the results of research from the explosion is among others: supernova specrtrum line has become a sign of the supernova explosion type 2 but in the center of supernova, there is a blue star on the last picture is not the form of red giant stars that are usually on supernova this type. And also from the explosion has not produced the remnants, which usually form neutron stars or black holes of the facts there until further research until now.

SN 1994D, which comes from the explosion of a star is very far distance from the earth, this happens from the outside galaxy NGC 4526, the ray speread during a week after the explosion, the explosion marks the type 1a.

SN 2006gy, which in supernova is found by students in Texas, this supernova is the largest ever observed even astronomy NASA says the explosion is hundreds of times more powerful than the supernova explosion normally up to now, It's 240 million years from earth, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said this supernova occurred during 70 days, but exceptions to this explosion in the type of supernova explosion collapsed core, which comes from the big stars also produce large explosion and also if the mass of the remaining 2 / 3 before its explosion it will generate a black hole, but the remnant of the explosion SN 2006gy not indicate the existence of black holes, with the explosion of such astronomer Dave Pooley of the university in Berkeley California will occur in the star eta carinae a distance of 7,500 light years from earth.

Supernova 2008D is supernova explosion, which was first discovered by detection x-ray, using x-ray telescope Swift outer space objects that this explosion is located in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770 a distance of about 90 light years from the constellation Lynx. Supernova inventor of this Alicia Soderberg from Princeton University, New Jersey, U.S., along with colleagues, Edo Berger of the Carnegie Observatory, California