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Supernova

Star collision causes supernova

Last updated Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 8:17am

Type 1a supernovae, exploding stars that can outshine entire galaxies, were instrumental to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery that a mysterious "dark energy" is fueling the expansion of the universe. But astronomers haven't been able to pin down what causes these massive stellar explosions.

Now, after studying a Type 1a supernova in a nearby galaxy, two researchers say that they must be the result of a collision between two white dwarf stars. They made their case this week in the journal Nature.

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Astronomers discover new type of supernova

Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times

Last updated Wednesday, June 8, 2011 - 5:19pm

A team led by astronomers at the California Institute of Technology has discovered a new type of supernova that may burn 100 times brighter than typical exploding stars -- and they're trying to figure out exactly how this new type works.

The study, which identified four newly discovered supernovae as part of this unknown class, also solves the mystery behind two previously unexplained events -- one that had been thought to be an extremely luminous type II supernova, and another whose nature had scientists completely baffled.

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