Definitions for supernova
ˌsu pərˈnoʊ və; -visu·per·no·va

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. supernovanoun

   a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. supernovanoun

   A star which explodes, increasing its brightness to typically a billion times that of our sun, though attenuated by the great distance from our sun. Some leave only debris (Type I); others fade to invisibility as neutron stars (Type II).

2. Etymology: super- + nova

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Supernova

   A supernova is a powerful,violent and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. The original object, called the progenitor, either collapses to a neutron star or black hole, or is completely destroyed to form a diffuse nebula. The peak optical luminosity of a supernova can be comparable to that of an entire galaxy before fading over several weeks or months. The last supernova to be directly observed in the Milky Way was Kepler's Supernova in 1604, appearing not long after the also naked-eye visible SN 1572, but the remnants of more recent supernovae have been found. Observations of supernovae in other galaxies suggest they occur in the Milky Way on average about three times every century. These supernovae would almost certainly be observable with modern astronomical telescopes. The most recent naked-eye supernova was SN 1987A, which was the explosion of a blue supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of the Milky Way. Theoretical studies indicate that most supernovae are triggered by one of two basic mechanisms: the sudden re-ignition of nuclear fusion in a degenerate star such as a white dwarf, or the sudden gravitational collapse of a massive star's core. In the first class of events, the object's temperature is raised enough to trigger runaway nuclear fusion, completely disrupting the star. Possible causes are an accumulation of material from a binary companion through accretion, or a stellar merger. In the massive star case, the core of a massive star may undergo sudden collapse once it is unable to produce sufficient energy from fusion to counteract the star's own gravity. While some observed supernovae are more complex than these two simplified theories, the astrophysical mechanics are established and accepted by the astronomical community. Supernovae can expel several solar masses of material at velocities up to several percent of the speed of light. This drives an expanding shock wave into the surrounding interstellar medium, sweeping up an expanding shell of gas and dust observed as a supernova remnant. Supernovae are a major source of elements in the interstellar medium from oxygen to rubidium. The expanding shock waves of supernovae can trigger the formation of new stars. Supernova are a major source of cosmic rays. Supernovae might produce gravitational waves, though thus far, gravitational waves have been detected only from the mergers of black holes and neutron stars.

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1. supernova

   A supernova is a powerful and luminous stellar explosion that occurs at the end of a star's life cycle. This happens when a star exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravitational force, releasing a vast amount of energy and causing the star to shine with an intense brightness for a short period of time before gradually fading away. The materials expelled during a supernova can form the building blocks of new stars and planets.

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Supernova

   A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this short interval a supernova can radiate as much energy as the Sun is expected to emit over its entire life span. The explosion expels much or all of a star's material at a velocity of up to 30,000 km/s, driving a shock wave into the surrounding interstellar medium. This shock wave sweeps up an expanding shell of gas and dust called a supernova remnant. Nova means "new" in Latin, referring to what appears to be a very bright new star shining in the celestial sphere; the prefix "super-" distinguishes supernovae from ordinary novae which are far less luminous. The word supernova was coined by Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky in 1931. Supernovae can be triggered in one of two ways: by the sudden reignition of nuclear fusion in a degenerate star; or by the collapse of the core of a massive star. A degenerate white dwarf may accumulate sufficient material from a companion, either through accretion or via a merger, to raise its core temperature, ignite carbon fusion, and trigger runaway nuclear fusion, completely disrupting the star. The core of a massive star may undergo sudden gravitational collapse, releasing gravitational potential energy that can create a supernova explosion.

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1. supernova

   Song lyrics by supernova -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by supernova on the Lyrics.com website.

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1. • Star

How to pronounce supernova?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

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   Mark

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   Daniel

   British

   Libby

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   Mia

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   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

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   Priya

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   Neerja

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   Oliver

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How to say supernova in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of supernova in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of supernova in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of supernova in a Sentence

1. Charles Kilpatrick:

   When it exploded, it seemed like a very normal hydrogen-free supernova, there was nothing outstanding about this. But the progenitor star didn't match what we know about this type of supernova.

2. Susan Scott:

   We can better estimate the population size of these systems in the universe and also better understand how these systems' get together' in the first place, on the extended wish list we would soon hope to have a supernova which goes off somewhere close so that we can capture the expected gravitational waves from this type of event and better model the supernova process.

3. Subo Dong:

   ASASSN-15lh is the most powerful supernova discovered in human history, the explosion’s mechanism and power source remain shrouded in mystery because all known theories meet serious challenges in explaining the immense amount of energy ASASSN-15lh has radiated.

4. Steve Rodney:

   The four supernova images captured by Hubble appeared within a few days or weeks of each other and we found them after they had appeared, but we think the supernova may have appeared in a single image some 20 years ago elsewhere in the cluster field, and, even more excitingly, it is expected to reappear once more in the next one to five years.

5. Daniel Perley:

   This was an incredibly luminous event, brighter than almost any supernova we've ever seen before, the Cow also appeared and faded away very quickly : so quickly that existing supernova models can't properly explain The Cow. The Cow must be a new type of extremely energetic, explosive event.

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