New Suspect Identified in Supernova Explosion: Supernovas are often thought of as tremendous explosions that mark the ends of massive stars' lives, but not all supernovas occur in this fashion. A common supernova class, Type Ia, involves the detonation of white dwarfs -- small, dense stars that are already dead. New results from our Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed a rare example of Type Ia explosion, in which a dead star "fed" off an aging star like a cosmic zombie, triggering a blast. The results help researchers piece together how these powerful and diverse events occur.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard
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