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Type I Supernova

Decent Essays

Maggie Barnard
8/25/15
Literary Analysis and Comp. II
Mrs. Mikowski
Supernovae
A supernova is a stellar explosion that occurs at the end of a star’s lifetime. It is one of the largest and most energetic explosions in space (S1). A supernova can briefly outshine an entire galaxy and radiate more energy than our sun will in its lifetime. That is about same brightness of 10 million suns (S2). Supernovae happen about every 50 years in a galaxy about the size of the Milky Way, which could be about every second in our universe (S3). Supernovae can happen in two ways depending on the mass of the star; Type I or Type II.

A Type I supernova happens when the star “steals” matter from a neighbor until a nuclear reaction ignites. Type I supernovae are generally thought to come from white dwarf stars only in binary star systems (S1). A white dwarf star is what stars like our sun become after they have used up their nuclear fuel. As the gas of the neighboring star grows onto the white dwarf, the white dwarf is progressively and constantly compressed, and after a while, sets off a nuclear reaction inside the star that eventually leads to an energetic supernova outburst (S3). …show more content…

Like our sun, it will eventually run out of hydrogen and helium fuel at the star’s core. However, it will have enough mass and pressure to fuse carbon (S2). Next, over time, heavier elements build up at the center and it becomes layered like an onion (S2). The elements will become lighter and move towards the outside of the star. The core will heat up and become dense. The core will become extremely heavy; so heavy that its gravitational force will not be able withstand it; causing it to explode. The explosion spews out stellar material throughout space

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