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Supernovae
Type 1a
Binary Stars and Death
When two ordinary stars
(about the sun’s mass) in a
binary system die the
results can be explosive
The more massive star will
die first
Its death will not be unlike
the Sun’s though the other
star will affect the form of
the planetary nebula.
Producing nebulae like the When the second becomes a red
Rose Nebula
giant it will trigger a type 1a
super nova
Mass from the red giant “falls” onto the white
dwarf…
When the mass of the white dwarf reaches the
critical mass of 1.44 solar masses,
Known as the Chandrasekar’s limit
It explodes in a supernova!
Because it always happens when the mass is
1.44 solar masses,
the amount of energy created in a Type Ia
Supernova is always about the same.
Thus its luminosity is always the same.
A Type Ia Supernova in another galaxy is
thus a good standard candle to use to find
the distance to the galaxy
Collision Supernova
Another explanation is that…
Sometimes two white dwarfs in a binary
system collide reaching or exceeding
Chandrasekar’s Limit
making a Type1a supernova