Wide Angle: Star Evolution

From fusion to supernova, the mysterious lives of stars keep astronomers busy
 

Going Out With a Bang

crab nebula star supernova explosion image nasa
The Crab Nebula is all that remains of a star which exploded in 1054 A.D. So far, only two stars have been imaged before they went ka-boom -- SN 1987a and SN 2005gl. Credit: NASA
 

Stars power just about everything in the universe, from the formation of planets to any life that shows up there.

Strangely, we know very little about how these massive gas balls are born, live and perish. Even the existence of our closest star -- the sun -- is something of an enigma.

Dive into this Discovery Space Wide Angle to get the latest word on supernovae, test your stellar knowledge and learn how astronomers date stars (and not the Hollywood type, mind you).

  • News: Old Supernova May Revise Star Evolution Theory
    An exploded star more than 50 times bigger than our sun didn't disappear into a black hole, as prevailing theories of stellar evolution predict. Why?

  • Quiz: Life of a Star
    Think you've got the right stuff to make a star -- and end one? Then take this HowStuffWorks quiz, but don't blow it!

  • Interview: Supernova-Sized Mystery
    A new Hubble Space Telescope discovery reveals before-and-after images of a big star gone supernova. An astrophysicist chats about the implications.

  • Blog: Blow Up
    Why are incredibly massive stars going supernova when they shouldn't? Jennifer Ouellette of the Twisted Physics blog explains.

  • Video: 3 Questions: Star Aging
    Discovery News unlocks the mysteries of stars and finds out why a star's age matters.

  • HowStuffWorks: How Stars Work
    HowStuffWorks explains how stars are born, how they die and how, exactly, they come to be the center of planetary systems.

Got something to say? E-mail your questions, comments or concerns to discoveryspace@discovery.com.

MORE WIDE ANGLES
 
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Other Wide Angles This Week

Visit our other Wide Angles running on Discovery Earth and Discovery Tech this week:


Discovery Earth: Volcano Planet
The explosive eruption of Alaska's Mount Redoubt, along with another large eruption days before in Tonga, are reminders that we live on a chaotic planet.


Discovery Tech: Smart Highways
Take a deep look at what future roads may look like, here on Earth and even in the skies.

 

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