SN 2008ha

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-2008ha

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. Who discovered SN 2008ha?2008. Observed as a transient optical event in a distant galaxy
2. What is SN 2008ha?SN 2008ha is a tiny, fast‑blowing star that exploded in 2008. It is a special kind of Type Ia supernova that behaves differently from most of its cousins.
3. Why is SN 2008ha different from other supernovae?It brightened very quickly and was much fainter than usual. This shows it exploded in a different way than typical Type Ia supernovae.

Light Curve: A graph showing the change in brightness of an astronomical object over time.
Chandrasekhar Limit: The maximum mass a stable white dwarf star can have before collapsing.
Transient Astronomy: The study of astronomical objects that change in brightness over short periods.
Absolute Magnitude: The intrinsic brightness of a celestial object, independent of its distance.