Supernovae

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 (nuclear fusion) 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

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

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

• Ia

• 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.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

What happens to a massive star's core when it starts producing iron?

• The core becomes unstable and begins to expand.

• Iron fusion releases energy, causing the star to brighten.

• The core collapses as iron fusion consumes energy instead of releasing it.

• The star's core becomes a black hole immediately.

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

• quasars

• pulsars

• black holes

• gamma ray bursts

The Crab Nebula is an example of a _____. It rotates 30 times per second and will continue doing that for millions of years.

• red dwarf

• YHG

• pulsar

• white dwarf

What element's spectral lines are commonly observed in the emission spectrum of a Type II supernova?

• Hydrogen

• Helium

• Plutonium

• Carbon

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

Which type of supernova is characterized by the absence of hydrogen in its emission spectrum?

• Type Ia

• Type IIP

• Type IIL

• Type III

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3