BRAINCAKESupernovae, Neutron Stars and Black Holes
A supernova is a rapid increase in the absolute magnitude of a star. For a short time a single supernova can be as bright as a whole galaxy.
Core-collapse supernova. A very massive star becomes a red supergiant and fuses heavier and heavier elements in shells around its core, up to iron. Fusing iron does not release energy, so fusion stops and nothing supports the core against gravity. The core collapses in a fraction of a second and the outer layers rebound, blasting outwards in a supernova. What remains depends on the mass of the core:
• core mass above about 1.4 solar masses: electrons and protons combine to form a neutron star
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Key terms in this lesson
- escape velocity
- The minimum speed an object needs to escape a gravitational field completely without further propulsion, so that its kinetic energy equals the magnitude of its gravitational potential energy.
- pulsar
- A rapidly rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation, observed as regular pulses as a beam sweeps past the Earth.
More in Astrophysics
- Stefan's Law
- Spectral Classes
- The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
- Evolution of a Star
- The Schwarzschild Radius
- Type Ia Supernovae as Standard Candles
- The Doppler Effect and Red Shift
- Hubble's Law
All 24 lessons in Astrophysics · All AQA A-level Physics topics