Supernova Trivia Questions

That supernova was so bright it was visible during the day for 23 days. Its remnant, the Crab Nebula, still expands today.

SN 1987A exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 168,000 light-years away, and was visible to the naked eye for months.

Heavy elements like gold and platinum are created during supernovae via rapid neutron capture, then scattered into space to form new planets.

During its peak, a single supernova can emit as much energy as the Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime, outshining its host galaxy.

They have a consistent peak brightness because they occur when a white dwarf accretes mass from a companion until it reaches a critical limit.

Only massive stars (over 8 solar masses) explode as supernovae. Smaller stars, like our Sun, become white dwarfs without exploding.

A nearby supernova within 50 light-years could strip our ozone layer and cause a mass extinction. Betelgeuse is close enough to worry astronomers.

Many supernovae leave behind neutron stars instead. Only the most massive stars (over 20-25 solar masses) collapse into black holes.