In 23 billion years, these two white dwarf stars will collide. Then, they'll explore. Here's why scientists say this ...

The SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY is a part of the Smithsonian Institution which, in conjunction with the Harvard ...

Lots of things out in the universe can cause a supernova, from the gravitational ... light curves of how they brighten and fade and the types of elements identified in their spectra.

A supernova is one of the most powerful and mysterious ... By the mid-20th century, the discovery of two main types of ...

Scientists have found the heaviest known pair of dead stars in our galaxy — a rare system they believe will one day explode ...

The stars in this rare high mass and compact binary star system are on a collision course with one another that should result in a special kind of supernova. Astronomers expect them to explode as ...

During the final stages in the life of a gargantuan star, its death throes culminate in a powerful thermonuclear blast — a supernova — that typically destroys the celestial object, unleashing ...

Deaths of nearby massive stars may have played a significant role in triggering at least two mass extinction events in ...

Notably, these two types of stars have different origins: a neutron star is formed when a massive star undergoes a supernova explosion, while a white dwarf emerges when a star with a low to medium ...

This "supernova archaeology" uncovered important clues about a star that self-destructed—probably more than a million years ago. Today, the system called GRO J1655-40 contains a black hole with ...