SN 2008ax

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sn-2008ax

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is SN 2008ax?Likely > 8-10 solar masses
2. What is the supernova type?Type II-P (Core-collapse supernova with a hydrogen envelope and light curve plateau)
3. What is the host galaxy?NGC 2770 (a spiral galaxy)

Core Collapse Supernova: A supernova occurring when the core of a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
Light Curve Plateau: A period in a supernova's light curve where the brightness remains relatively constant, characteristic of Type II-P events.
Galactic Chemical Evolution: The study of how the abundance of chemical elements in a galaxy changes over cosmic time due to stellar nucleosynthesis and supernovae.
Interstellar Medium (ISM): The matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems of a galaxy, comprising gas and dust.