Please explain (Supernova)

[sponge]

Hi Id jst like to get some claification on supernova's<br /><br />1. When our star has spent all its fuel it will go nova yes/ no<br /><br />2. If a star like Regal went nova, could the surrounding gasses accrete again to ignite new stars and planets.<br />(this one would probaly become a nutron star or blackhole by memory correct me if im wrong)<br /><br /><br />3 Could our Sun if went nova accrete again to get hot enough to ignite a new star, planets etc<br /><br />4. How big does a star have to be to only go nova or is that factor not applicable.<br /><br />Any detailed answers would be much appreciated <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><u>SPONGE</u></em></p> </div>

 

[raghara2]

1 - 3 No<br /><br />Questions 2 - 3 have also different meaning than you though about, but you'd need to look at details of star formation first.<br /><br />4. question would be better answered by someone with astro uni background. I doubt a single number would be what you want.

 

[doubletruncation]

Just a nomenclature clarification:<br />A supernova and a nova are actually two different processes. In a supernova a star is destroyed either by the collapse of its core or if it's a white dwarf, by accreting matter from a binary companion and exceeding the 1.4 solar mass white dwarf threshhold at which point the star undergoes a violent thermonuclear explosion that destroys the entire star. In a nova, a white dwarf is again accreting matter from a binary companion however it doesn't yet exceed the 1.4 solar mass threshhold. Occassionally, however, the material building up on the surface can suffer a violent thermonuclear reaction, however the reaction is isolated to the surface of the star and does not destroy the white dwarf.<br /><br />As to your questions:<br /><font color="yellow">1. When our star has spent all its fuel it will go nova yes/ no </font><br />Most likely not. It is not massive enough to undergo a core-collapse supernova, and it has no binary companion to accrete matter from to undergo a Type Ia supernova as a white dwarf. <br /><br /><font color="yellow">2. If a star like Regal went nova, could the surrounding gasses accrete again to ignite new stars and planets.<br />(this one would probaly become a nutron star or blackhole by memory correct me if im wrong)</font><br /><br />Yes, the outer atmosphere of the star is re-injected into the surrounding interstellar medium. Only the core of the star ends up as a neutron star or black hole. In fact, the supernova process is largely responsible for enchriching the interstellar medium with many of the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium (i.e. many of the atoms on the Earth were fused in massive stars and then ejected into the interstellar medium). Supernova explosions also send shocks through the interstellar medium that may cause surrounding gas/dust clouds to collapse and form new stars.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">3 Could our Sun if went nova accrete again to get hot enough to</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[sponge]

ANSWER FOR Q2. <br />Yes, the outer atmosphere of the star is re-injected into the surrounding interstellar medium. Only the core of the star ends up as a neutron star or black hole. In fact, the supernova process is largely responsible for enchriching the interstellar medium with many of the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium (i.e. many of the atoms on the Earth were fused in massive stars and then ejected into the interstellar medium). Supernova explosions also send shocks through the interstellar medium that may cause surrounding gas/dust clouds to collapse and form new stars. <br /><br />Thanks for this answer, i have another if you dont mind.<br /><br />So say a huge star like Regal, with no heavy metals suddenly exploded into a supernova, could heavy metals be created / or already exist in the interstellar medium and eventually collaspe again to form new stars planets like our own sun. Is it possible that a sun like star would form eg, with heavy metals producing a system like our own, out of a star, which had none to begin with. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><u>SPONGE</u></em></p> </div>

 

[doubletruncation]

First of all I should note that in astronomy metals = anything other than hydrogen or helium. In the big bang scenario, all of the very first stars in the universe are initially formed with hydrogen and helium only since those are the only elements (+ trace amounts of lithium) that are fused in the hot big bang. The stars are then powered by nuclear fusion in their cores - fusion converts lighter elements into heavier ones (e.g 4 hydrogens to make 1 helium (2 protons, 2 neutrons), or helium into carbon/oxygen etc.) and releases energy. When the star disburses its material back into the interstellar medium (either in a supernova or a planetary nebula) the material will be more rich in metals than it was when initially formed into the star because the star has converted some of the lighter elements into heavier ones. Almost every element heavier than hydrogen and helium was made in a star. A star can fuse anything up to iron, but elements heavier than iron actually require energy to fuse them rather than releasing it, these heavier elements can actually be created in the supernova event itself where rapid thermonuclear fusion occurs. So in the big bang model, the very first stars formed without any metals, they cooked metals in their core and then went supernova (many of these are suspected to have been enormous stars that would not live very long before going supernova - turns out that fewer metals favors the formation of larger stars). This seeded the interstellar medium with some metals. Stars formed from this new material and when they died they ejected material that was more metal rich into the interstellar medium. And so on. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[sponge]

Thanks doubletruncation for your explaination.<br />You confirmed what I half knew already but i needed confirmation. Ive had theory of late thats why i posed the questions. Here is the final question for you. If one had the technology to insert antimatter directly into the core of Regal would this result in a premature Supernovae or is there a whole lot more going on there that i dont realise. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><u>SPONGE</u></em></p> </div>

 

[doubletruncation]

<font color="yellow">If one had the technology to insert antimatter directly into the core of Regal would this result in a premature Supernovae or is there a whole lot more going on there that i dont realise.</font><br /><br />I really have no idea. Whatever would happen would of course depend very much on the total amount of antimatter that you injected. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[sponge]

Well enough to produce a bang in the core, big enough to start a chain reaction, and yes i realise that would have to be a rather large amount or would it ? It would be an irony having the core go up an explosion rather then collapsing on itself to produce a neutron star. With the core exploding id say the ejecta would spread out quite away, maybe it might produce aGRB who knows. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><u>SPONGE</u></em></p> </div>