supernovas

The birth and death of stars in one spectacular photo

Our nearest galactic neighbor is the Large Magellanic Cloud. But despite its close proximity — about 160,000 light-years — astronomers are still finding new features to explore, including this stunning supernova remnant that appears to be sitting right beside a stellar nursery. This image was taken by the ESO’s Very Large Telescope. At the left…

io9 George Dvorsky Nov 27

Spectacular Stellar Explosion Rewrites the Book on Gamma-ray Bursts

Earlier this year, astronomers detected one of the brightest explosions ever seen in space. Now, some seven months later, the unusual event has been confirmed as a gamma-ray burst — and it’s changing the way we think about these cataclysmic explosions. https://gizmodo.com/astronomers-witness-an-extraordinarily-bright-stellar-e-493109611 Called GRB 130427A, it’s now officially the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded.…

io9 George Dvorsky Nov 21

3-D model lets you “fly through” a 300-year-old supernova

Check out the amazing new image that NASA just released of Cassiopeia A, the remains of a supernova that would have been visible from Earth 300 years ago. This new composite image was released to promote a new 3-D visualization tool that will allow more people to study Cas A. Check out this animated GIF…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Nov 15

Astronomers Witness An Extraordinarily Bright Stellar Explosion

On April 27, NASA’s Fermi and Swift satellites detected a record-setting burst from a dying star located in a nearby galaxy. Most likely the result of a massive supernova, it produced the highest-energy light ever detected by scientists. Above image: The map above shows gamma-ray energies above 100 million electron volts (MeV). The first frame…

io9 George Dvorsky May 6

Amazing Aftermath of the Supernova that Lit Up the Sky 1000 Years Ago

Astronomers working at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have captured the most detailed image yet taken of a Type Ia supernova. And this particular supernova is one that people observed all over the world, when it first happened. What you’re looking at here is the remnant of a white dwarf — or possibly two dwarfs —…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 18

Astronomers Have Discovered a New Type of Cosmic Explosion

Scientists working at the University of Warwick have identified an undocumented type of gamma-ray burst, the product of massive stars destroyed in a way previously unknown to astronomers. Gamma-ray bursts are among the most powerful forces in nature. As a supergiant star goes supernova, it shoots out directed beams of concentrated gamma-rays across vast distances.…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 17

A New Kind of Supernova Has Been Discovered

Everyone, say hello to Type Iax, a new classification of supernova that astronomers are calling “the runt of the supernova litter.” But these celestial blasts are hardly subtle; they’re a newly documented and surprisingly frequent subcategory of supernova in which helium-sucking white dwarfs survive the ensuing explosion. Above image: Material from a hot, blue helium…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 27

What’s the minimum safe distance from a supernova?

So apparently there are big burning things in the sky called stars. They are unstable, and I don’t want to scare you, but they occasionally explode. When they explode, you don’t want to be near them. But how far are you supposed to get away? It doesn’t really matter, since if we’re too close to…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 10

Astronomers learn that two white dwarfs do not make a supernova

Although every supernova has some things in common — a big boom, for example — there are plenty of different types. And different reasons why a star might go nova. Even when focusing on one particular type of supernova, there’s sometimes disagreement about what might be causing it. For example, it was thought that supernovae…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 12

10-year-old Canadian becomes the youngest person to discover a supernova

Kathryn Aurora Gray, aged 10, discovered a magnitude 17 supernova on New Year’s Eve, in the constellation of Camelopardalis. Gray had learned a 14-year-old was the youngest to find a supernova and felt sure she could beat that. Gray’s discovery, which was soon confirmed and announced by the International Astronomical Union, came as a result…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jan 4

A ring of fire forms around a new supernova

A 6-trillion-mile-wide ring of gas encircles a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, Supernova 1987A, and the explosions from the supernova are lighting it up like a candle, creating what will become a glowing ring. According to the Hubble Space Telescope’s news site: An international team of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope reports a…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 3

First 3-D view of a supernova in progress

Check out this artist’s impression of an super-violent supernova. The Very Large Telescope managed to obtain the first 3-D view of material after a star’s explosion, traveling 100 million kilometers per hour. And check out a video below. According to the European Southern Observatory: Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have for the first time…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 6

The Stormy Heart Of The Pinwheel Galaxy

This area near the core of the Pinwheel Galaxy turns out to be bursting with newborn stars, some only a few million years old. And there are about 60 supernova remnants, showing the full stellar life-cycle. [Hubble via Wired]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Nov 6

A Supernova Blossoms In A Neighboring Galaxy, And The Shockwave Is Aimed At Earth

See the blue halo around this supernova? It’s blue-shifted because of the Doppler effect, which means it’s heading straight for us. And the supernova E0102, in the Small Magellanic Cloud, is only 190,000 light years away. Brace for impact! This new image of E0102, from the Chandra Observatory, is leading scientists to believe the supernova’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 27

The Most Efficient Particle Accelerator Known To Humanity

Chinese astronomers observed this supernova, RCW 86, in the year 185 A.D. But it’s still pumping out cosmic rays, and a new image shows how supernova remnants like this one are the Milky Way’s “super-efficient particle accelerators.” [Chandra Observatory]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jun 29

Massive Explosion Culprit Revealed: A Rogue Supernova

A decade after astronomers first spotted a huge, bright light source in the nearby Circinus galaxy, they’ve finally identified its source: a supernova, dubbed SN 1996cr. It took coordinating data from 18 different telescopes, via the Internet, to identify that nova, a milestone in the new era of “Internet astronomy.” This composite image from the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26

Brightest Supernova In History Has Turned To Velvety Goodness

This supernova dominated our skies for weeks, a thousand years ago. It was brighter than Venus and visible during the day, and observers documented it in China, Japan, Europe and the Arab world. We now know that the brightest supernova on record, SN 1006c, was caused by a white dwarf star that gained mass from…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 15

Listen To Pink Floyd And Watch The Lovely Aftermath Of Stellar Destruction

It takes a lot of imaging power to capture the awesome aftermath of a star committing suicide. To get this freaktastic death blossom pic of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, it took three of NASA’s Great Observatories, using three different light wavebands. The red is from the Spitzer Space Telescope’s infrared data, the yellow is visible…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 30

Someone Has Stolen Our Supernovas

Here’s the youngest known supernova in our galaxy, a mere 140 years old. The unassumingly named G1.9+0.3 is at least 200 years younger than the previous youngest known supernova, and it grew by 16 percent over just the last 22 years. NASA’s Chandra Observatory was able to confirm North Carolina State University astrophysicist Stephen Reynolds’…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 14

The Biggest Space Explosions Ever Recorded

You can still see the shock wave from the explosion of supernova Cassiopeia A in this color-enhanced image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. The blue glow around the dead star is the “forward shock,” material blasted with energy by the shock wave when the star blew. Click through for a gallery of the biggest space…

io9 Charliejane Jan 15

The birth and death of stars in one spectacular photo

Spectacular Stellar Explosion Rewrites the Book on Gamma-ray Bursts

3-D model lets you “fly through” a 300-year-old supernova

Astronomers Witness An Extraordinarily Bright Stellar Explosion

Amazing Aftermath of the Supernova that Lit Up the Sky 1000 Years Ago

Astronomers Have Discovered a New Type of Cosmic Explosion

A New Kind of Supernova Has Been Discovered

What’s the minimum safe distance from a supernova?

Astronomers learn that two white dwarfs do not make a supernova

10-year-old Canadian becomes the youngest person to discover a supernova

A ring of fire forms around a new supernova

First 3-D view of a supernova in progress

The Stormy Heart Of The Pinwheel Galaxy

A Supernova Blossoms In A Neighboring Galaxy, And The Shockwave Is Aimed At Earth

The Most Efficient Particle Accelerator Known To Humanity

Massive Explosion Culprit Revealed: A Rogue Supernova

Brightest Supernova In History Has Turned To Velvety Goodness

Listen To Pink Floyd And Watch The Lovely Aftermath Of Stellar Destruction

Someone Has Stolen Our Supernovas

The Biggest Space Explosions Ever Recorded

Anthropic’s New Model Is So Scarily Powerful It Won’t Be Released, Anthropic Says

Musk Asks Court to Give Potential Winnings in OpenAI Suit to OpenAI’s Nonprofit

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Let us help find what you are looking for...

supernovas

The birth and death of stars in one spectacular photo

​Spectacular Stellar Explosion Rewrites the Book on Gamma-ray Bursts

3-D model lets you “fly through” a 300-year-old supernova

Astronomers Witness An Extraordinarily Bright Stellar Explosion

Amazing Aftermath of the Supernova that Lit Up the Sky 1000 Years Ago

Astronomers Have Discovered a New Type of Cosmic Explosion

A New Kind of Supernova Has Been Discovered

What’s the minimum safe distance from a supernova?

Astronomers learn that two white dwarfs do not make a supernova

10-year-old Canadian becomes the youngest person to discover a supernova

A ring of fire forms around a new supernova

First 3-D view of a supernova in progress

The Stormy Heart Of The Pinwheel Galaxy

A Supernova Blossoms In A Neighboring Galaxy, And The Shockwave Is Aimed At Earth

The Most Efficient Particle Accelerator Known To Humanity

Massive Explosion Culprit Revealed: A Rogue Supernova

Brightest Supernova In History Has Turned To Velvety Goodness

Listen To Pink Floyd And Watch The Lovely Aftermath Of Stellar Destruction

Someone Has Stolen Our Supernovas

The Biggest Space Explosions Ever Recorded

Anthropic’s New Model Is So Scarily Powerful It Won’t Be Released, Anthropic Says

Musk Asks Court to Give Potential Winnings in OpenAI Suit to OpenAI’s Nonprofit

Pro-Iran Hackers Target Critical U.S. Energy and Water Infrastructure

‘She-Hulk’ Was Apparently One of Marvel’s Most Successful Shows

The World’s First Eye-Tracking Smart Glasses Are Intriguing and Unpolished

Noah Hawley Is Remaking ‘Terrified,’ Which Shouldn’t Happen

Unprecedented Observation Reveals 2 Supermassive Black Holes Locked in a Tight Death Spiral

This Apple MacBook Pro Is Now Under $500 After 78% Off, Grade-A Refurb Deal (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Touch Bar)

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Spectacular Stellar Explosion Rewrites the Book on Gamma-ray Bursts