Insight into star death

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Astronomy; (USA)

OSTI ID:5919767

Talcott, R

Nineteen neutrinos, formed in the center of a supernova, became a theorist's dream. They came straight from the heart of supernova 1987A and landed in two big underground tanks of water. Suddenly a new chapter in observational astronomy opened as these two neutrino telescopes gave astronomers their first look ever into the core of a supernova explosion. But the theorists' dream almost turned into a nightmare. Observations of the presupernova star showed conclusively that the star was a blue supergiant, but theorists have long believed only red supergiant stars could explode as supernovae. Do astronomers understand supernovae better now than when supernova 1987A exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) one year ago Yes. The observations of neutrinos spectacularly confirmed a vital aspect of supernova theory. But the observed differences between 1987A and other supernovae have illuminated and advanced our perception of how supernovae form. By working together, observers and theorists are continuing to hone their ideas about how massive stars die and how the subsequent supernovae behave.

• OSTI ID: 5919767
• Journal Information: Astronomy; (USA), Journal Name: Astronomy; (USA) Vol. 16:2; ISSN ASTRD; ISSN 0091-6358
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BRIGHTNESS
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DETECTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
EXPLOSIONS
FERMIONS
GALAXIES
GRAVITATION
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRON
LEPTONS
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
MASS
MASS TRANSFER
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
NEUTRINOS
NEUTRON STARS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PRESSURE EFFECTS
PULSARS
RADIATIONS
SHOCK WAVES
STAR BURNING
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
SUPERNOVAE
SYNTHESIS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
VARIABLE STARS