Vocab
A huge ball of glowing, hot gas held together by gravity. For most of its life, it stays balanced by pushing heat outward while gravity pushes inward.
Star
An incredible, sudden burst of heat and radiation that makes the exploding star shine up to a billion times brighter than our Sun. It can be seen across the universe.
The star at the center of our Solar System, providing Earth with light and heat.
Sun
What did we use for a supernova collapsing in our demo?
Balloon
The biggest explosion in space. It happens when a massive star runs out of fuel and blows up, temporarily becoming brighter than a whole galaxy.
Supernova
What is left of a super nova after a star dies or explodes and where new stars are made
Nebula
The curved, repeating path that an object (like a planet or satellite) takes as it revolves around another object in space
Orbit/Revolution
What is a RED SUPERGIANT?
A star nearing the end of its life
The main center of the star that powers the explosion and makes the star explode
Core
The building blocks of matter heavier than iron (such as gold, silver, and uranium). These are forged in the explosive shockwave of the blast.
Elements
Why does a star die?
It runs out of fuel
What happens when a star's core (the very center) runs out of energy and gets so heavy it cannot hold itself up. It crashes inward, creating a giant shockwave that blows the star apart.
Core-Collapse
A massive, gravitationally bound system consisting of millions or billions of stars, planets, and space dust.
Galaxy
What are the top three things supernovas provide us with?
Iron, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
A highly dense point left behind after the largest and heaviest stars die in a supernova. Its gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape it.
Black Hole
The ultra-dense, collapsed core of the original star that remains at the center of the explosion. Neutron stars are incredibly dense, while black holes have gravity so strong that not even light can escape.
A large, round celestial body that orbits a star and does not produce its own light.
Planet