This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. The original object, called the progenitor , either collapses to a neutron star or black hole , or is completely destroyed. The peak optical luminosity of a supernova can be comparable to that of an entire galaxy before fading over several weeks or months. Supernovae are more energetic than novae. In Latin , nova means "new", referring astronomically to what appears to be a temporary new bright star. Adding the prefix "super-" distinguishes supernovae from ordinary novae, which are far less luminous. The word supernova was coined by Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky in The most recent directly observed supernova in the Milky Way was Kepler's Supernova in , but the remnants of more recent supernovae have been found. Observations of supernovae in other galaxies suggest they occur in the Milky Way on average about three times every century. These supernovae would almost certainly be observable with modern astronomical telescopes.


History of supernova observations
What causes a supernova?
Supernova , plural supernovae or supernovas , any of a class of violently exploding stars whose luminosity after eruption suddenly increases many millions of times its normal level. Supernovae resemble novae in several respects. Both are characterized by a tremendous, rapid brightening lasting for a few weeks, followed by a slow dimming. Spectroscopically, they show blue-shifted emission lines, which imply that hot gases are blown outward. But a supernova explosion, unlike a nova outburst, is a cataclysmic event for a star, one that essentially ends its active i. Supernovae explosions release not only tremendous amounts of radio waves and X-rays but also cosmic rays.
Historical supernovae
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A supernova is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen. Each blast is the extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a star. An illustration of one of the brightest and most energetic supernova explosions ever recorded. This happens when a star at least five times the mass of our sun goes out with a fantastic bang! Massive stars burn huge amounts of nuclear fuel at their cores , or centers. This produces tons of energy , so the center gets very hot. A star is in balance between two opposite forces. This outward push resists the inward squeeze of gravity.