What is a supernova? Will the sun ever explode as a supernova?
A. Rare, massive stars explode at the end of their lives, when they run out of energy. That is because there is no longer any internal force to prevent them from collapsing under their own weight. Their cores collapse, releasing vast quantities of energy which blows the star apart in a “supernova explosion”. Betelgeuse, in Orion, is a star which may explode as a supernova. There are also lesser explosions called “novae” which occur in “close binary stars” – rare stars which have a companion star in close orbit around them. The sun will not explode as a supernova or nova.
