Stars and the Sun Life and death of stars
Supernovae. The spectacular death of stars
Gloria Dubner National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences · Institute of Astronomy and Space Physics
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About the lecture
Strictly speaking, a supernova is an event: a colossal explosion that in a matter of seconds ends a star that shone powerfully in the sky for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. For astronomers, that event becomes an object of study from the moment of the explosion and during the weeks or months the light of the blast remains visible to a telescope. But the effect of that colossal event (enormous even by astronomical standards) on all the surrounding space persists over time and turns it into a long-lived celestial object. Beautiful nebulae are created, some of the most beautiful objects in the sky, shining for thousands of years across the whole electromagnetic spectrum (from radio waves to powerful gamma rays), with extraordinary consequences for all the material around them. These objects that survive a star's explosion are supernova remnants, and their study is linked to subjects as broad and varied as nucleosynthesis, neutron stars, black holes, galaxy dynamics, the birth of new stars and even archaeoastronomy. Supernovae are also inseparable from the presence of life on Earth.
We will briefly go through the different types of supernovae, discussing the theories currently most accepted to explain the different explosions, as well as their impact on the surrounding interstellar medium.
Text of the official description published by IAA-CSIC on YouTube.
