Do all dying stars supernova?
Stars with over 8-12 masses die in violent events like supernova. Unless they lose enough mass due to a violent eolutionary phase like being in a binary system or losing much of their mass to powerful winds, they would die in a supernova – a Type II supernova, that is. Stars below this mass threshold die quietly as white dwarfs eroding their shells thru planetary nebulae. A “low” mass star (between 0.8-8 solar masses) can still undergo a supernova event provided it is a member of a binary star system that can transfer mass into it if it has gone as a white dwarf already, a massive white dwarf that is. This is Type Ia. Clear skies!
