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

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. supernova(noun)

   a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. supernova(Noun)

   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).

Origin: super- + nova

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.

How to pronounce supernova?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Kae Hope Ranoa:

   ’Supernova’ is a big fuck you to everyone who was like, ‘Hey you're a chick but you're getting free beats and shit, what's going on?

2. 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.

3. Peter Garnavich:

   In order to see something that happens on timescales of minutes, like a shock breakout, you want to have a camera continuously monitoring the sky, you don’t know when a supernova is going to go off, and Kepler's vigilance allowed us to be a witness as the explosion began.

4. 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.

5. Giorgos Leloudas:

   We observed the source for 10 months following the event and have concluded that the explanation is unlikely to lie with an extraordinarily bright supernova, our results indicate that the event was probably caused by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole as it destroyed a low-mass star.

Images & Illustrations of supernova

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