Myth vs Reality: Supernovas and Star Death

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 This short video addresses the misconception that all stars die in supernova explosions.

Credits


Supernovas
 
 
Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach.
 
All images, illustrations, and videos courtesy of NASA, ESA, and STScI except:
 
·       Night sky imagery created with Stellarium
·       Images of supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy (SN 2011fe) courtesy of Peter Nugent and the Palomar Transient Factory, Thunderf00t (Wikipedia), and BJ Fulton/LCOGT
·       Type Ia supernova animation courtesy of ESO/M. Kornmesser
·       Taurus constellation drawing from Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia by Johannes Hevelius, courtesy of the United States Naval Observatory
·       Black-and-white Crab Nebula image: Bill Schoening/NOAO/AURA/NSF
·       Drawing of the Crab Nebula by William Parsons, the Third Earl of Rosse
 
 
Written by Vanessa Thomas
Designed by John Godfrey

Transcript


(SPEECH)
[MUSIC PLAYING]
 
(DESCRIPTION)
Bright teal lines separate the screen in half. Text. Myth versus Reality. Above the Myth side is a constellation map with a horned bull. On the Reality side is a bright, bursting light.
 
Myth. All stars end their lives in supernova explosions.
 
Reality. Relatively few stars end their lives as supernovae. Stars that are many times more massive than the Sun explode as supernovae. But stars like the Sun, which are much more common, can end their lives quietly by gently puffing away their outer layers.