Most supernovae occur at the end of a massive star’s life, whose dramatic and catastrophic destruction is marked by one final explosion
They may be the most explosive phenomena in the Universe
Although supernovae are among the most destructive events known, the shock waves they send into interstellar space help create new stars, new solar systems ...
They are the sparks of life — without them there would be no life on Earth as many of the chemical elements found here were blasted into space by supernovae
The oldest recorded supernova dates back almost 2000 years
For a short while a supernova is brighter than all the other stars in its galaxy put together
Supernovae occur about every 100 years in the Milky Way — but the last was seen in 1604
During the time it took to watch this video, some 40 supernovae will have exploded somewhere in our Universe
Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —