Supernovae
(Copyright of AAO, photographs by D. Malin)
At the end of its life, a star more than about five times as massive as
our Sun will collapse inward and then rebound in a cataclysmic explosion
called a supernova. Within the debris of
the explosion are radioactive nuclei that release
gamma rays. These gamma rays are a unique tool to study the violent deaths
of stars.
A service of the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at
Goddard Space Flight Center
Technical Rep: Jay Norris
Web Curator: J.D. Myers
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Viewing The Violent Universe was created by
Joslyn Schoemer, Stephanie Leitner and Tom Chi.
Questions and comments may be sent to Joslyn Schoemer at
jschoemer@challenger.org.