Supernova

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/supernova

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. What is the neutrino emission?Core-collapse supernovas release over 99% of their energy as neutrinos
2. What is the cosmic ray acceleration?Supernova remnants are believed to be primary sites for accelerating cosmic rays
3. Why do some stars explode in a core‑collapse supernova?When a massive star (about 8 times the Sun) runs out of fuel, its iron core can’t hold up against gravity. The core collapses, rebounds, and blows the outer layers away.
4. How does a white dwarf become a supernova?In a binary system, a white dwarf can pull extra mass from its partner. If it grows past about 1.4 times the Sun’s mass, it starts burning carbon all at once and explodes, leaving no compact core.

Nucleosynthesis: The process by which new atomic nuclei are created from pre-existing nucleons and nuclei.
Interstellar Medium: The matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems of a galaxy.
Neutrino: A subatomic particle with very little mass that interacts weakly with other matter.