This article (originally published Aug. 13, 2025) has been updated to include new text and illustrations featured in the Jan.

Astronomers have observed what they are calling a new type of supernova, which has provided an unparalleled glimpse into what happens deep within a star just before it explodes. A study detailing the ...

BERKELEY, CA — A group of scientists affiliated with the SuperNova Legacy Survey (SNLS) have found startling evidence that there is more than one kind of Type Ia supernova, a class of exploding stars ...

For over 30 years, astronomers have relied on Type Ia supernovae to measure the universe’s expansion. These stellar ...

The exploding stars known as Type Ia supernovae serve an important role in measuring the universe, and were used to discover the existence of dark energy. They’re bright enough to see across large ...

Supernovae, categorized as Type I (low hydrogen) and Type II (high hydrogen), produce varying abundances of heavy elements. Type Ia supernovae, resulting from thermal runaway in white dwarfs, are rich ...

Ironically, to study dark energy — a murky, unknown something that seems to act as an accelerant for our universe’s expansion — astronomers rely on brilliant supernovae. From 2013 to 2019, the Dark ...

An international team of astronomers has conducted optical and near-infrared observations of a supernova designated SN 2022ngb. As a result, it was found that SN 2022ngb is a faint and slow-evolving ...

It’s easy to forget that stars, just like us, have lifetimes. They’re born, they live, and eventually, they die. And for some stars, their death is dramatic, producing an explosion so powerful it can ...