Supernova

If a supernova occurred within a few dozen lightyears of Earth, how would it affect life on our planet?

• The light would be so bright, that our eyes would be instantly damaged.

• The atmosphere would be stripped away, collapsing food chains.

• The temperatures would soar, vaporizing everything.

• Our magnetic shield would burst, allowing large amounts of solar wind to strike the surface.

Why don't we need to worry about the sun becoming a supernova?

• The sun already became a supernova.

• It is spinning too slowly.

• It doesn't have the right elements.

• It is not big enough.

When the energy production of a star stops, what does gravity do to it?

• collapse the core

• cause it to spin rapidly

• shed the outer layers

• produce a blue light

When our sun dies, it will leave behind a white dwarf star composed of the elements:

• hydrogen and helium

• silicon and oxygen

• carbon and oxygen

• iron and nitrogen

Since most stars orbit in pairs, if one of the stars is a white dwarf, it can steal material from the other star and explode as a Type ____ supernova.

• II

• 3G

• 1a

• X

Where does most of the iron in the universe come from?

• Iron is fused in the core of some white dwarf stars and released during a Type 1a supernova.

• Iron is created as light leaves a star and interacts with the star's atmosphere.

• Recycled metal on Earth is launched into space.

• Iron was created during the big bang.

Why does the core of a massive star collapse once iron is created.

• Nuclear fusion is increased, causing gravity to increase.

• Iron is magnetic, and pulls magnetic particles in the star towards its iron core.

• Nuclear fusion stops, so gravity takes over.

• Dark energy in the universe crushes the star.

Why are so few atoms heavier than iron created in a single, massive star supernova?

• The black hole that is created pulls all the atoms into it.

• The neutron star that is created pulls all the atoms into it.

• Supernova are so powerful that atoms are destroyed.

• The explosion is so brief that their isn't enough time for many atoms to be made.

When massive stars go through supernova, they can leave behind a neutron star. These stars are so dense that a teaspoon of their material would weigh ____ million tons!

• 100

• 1,000

• 50

• 2

Neutron stars also rotate very rapidly. We call these ____.

• quasars

• pulsars

• black holes

• gamma ray bursts