Sharpen Your Mind: Supernova

Posted by Jerry Lopper Jan 29, 2007

Most stars die and fade away quietly when their fuel is exhausted through nuclear fusion. But a small minority, about one in one hundred, are large enough and hot enough that under the right conditions they explode with a tremendous release of energy.

Though the explosion may take only seconds, it may release light so bright that it can outshine an entire galaxy for months. A supernova can release enough energy to create even very heavy elements such as mercury, gold, and silver.

In 1604, Galileo used a supernova to disprove Aristotle's theory that the universe never changes.

Source: The Intellectual Devotional, David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim