Space Rumors

Not all stars end their lives as quietly as the white dwarfs. Massive stars, with much more matter than the sun, continue a more complex evolution and finish their existence in a far more spectacular way. The nucleus of these stars is so compressed and hot that more nuclear reactions can occur. When such a star has used up all of its hydrogen, the nucleus becomes compressed and heats up until the carbon react bringing about heavier elements. When the carbon has run out, a similar process begins. These different phases happen quickly, because the new nuclear reactions produce less energy each time. Toward the end, the star begins to acquire a structure of layers, with the nucleus being made up of iron. When it is no longer possible to obtain more energy from the iron, the stars center collapses in on itself and the whole star explodes in one great, unimaginable bang. This explosion can produce a glow of more than one hundred million suns. We call such an explosion a Supernova. Most of the stars matter disperses into space. The explosion produces a rapidly expanding nebula. The Crab nebula in the constellation Taurus is the remains of a supernova that Chinese astronomers saw in 1054.