Supernovae

• Prepared by – Amro Ismail Kasht.

• Presented by - Faheed Saeed

 What is A supernova?
• A supernova is an
explosion of a massive
supergiant star. It may
shine with the
brightness of 10 billion
suns! The total energy
output may be 1044
joules, as much as the
total output of the sun
during its 10 billion year
lifetime.
 Beginning and Ending
• In a sense, stars are like people:
they are born, they live and they
die.
• A star "lives" by fusing lighter
elements into heavier ones in its
central regions. The pressure
generated by this "combustion"
holds the star up against the
enormous gravitational force that
its outer layers exert on the
stellar core. The supply of
elements that the star can fuse is
limited, and when this runs out
the star "dies": its properties
change rapidly and violently, and
a new astronomical object is
created. Supernovae represent
the most catastrophic of these
stellar deaths.
• Supernovae are extremely
luminous and cause a burst
of radiation that often
briefly outshines an entire
galaxy, before fading from
view over several weeks or
months. During this short
interval, a supernova can
radiate as much energy as
the Sun could emit over its
life span.
• On average, supernovae
occur about once every
50 years in a galaxy the size
of the Milky Way.
• Furthermore, the expanding
shock waves from
supernova explosions can
trigger the formation of
new stars.
 History
• The earliest recorded
supernova, SN 185, was
viewed by Chinese
astronomers in 185 AD.
The brightest recorded
supernova was the SN
1006, which was
described in detail by
Chinese and Arab
astronomers.
• Since the
development of the
telescope, the field
of supernova
discovery has
enlarged to other
galaxies, starting
with the 1885
observation of
supernova S
Andromedae in the
Andromeda galaxy.
 Impact on Earth
• A near-Earth supernova is an
explosion resulting from the
death of a star that occurs close
enough to the Earth (roughly
fewer than 100 light-years away)
to have noticeable effects on its
biosphere. Gamma rays from a
supernova induce a chemical
reaction in the upper
atmosphere, converting
molecular nitrogen into nitrogen
oxides, depleting the ozone layer
enough to expose the surface to
harmful solar and cosmic
radiation. This has been proposed
as the cause of the end
Ordovician extinction, which
resulted in the death of nearly
60% of the oceanic life on Earth.
 References
• en.wikipedia.org
• hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu
• curious.astro.cornell.edu
• Clark, D. H.; Stephenson, "The Historical Supernovae”
• "Researchers Detect 'Near Miss' Supernova Explosion".
University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Richmond, Michael (2005-04-08). "Will a Nearby
Supernova Endanger Life on Earth?“
• www.grantchronicles.com
• www.fantom-xp.com
• www.dailygalaxy.com
• NASA
THE END