Name: How a Star Dies in a Supernova
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The most massive, luminous stars have the shortest lifetimes. Here's why—and how they burn out.

The saying "live fast, die young" applies to stars, astrophysicist Grant Tremblay says.

How a Star Dies in a Supernova

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The most massive, luminous stars have the shortest lifetimes. Here's why—and how they burn out.

The saying "live fast, die young" applies to stars, astrophysicist Grant Tremblay says.

Space & Flight

How a Star Dies in a SupernovaPublished: October 27, 2021Anjali Tripathi: Fusion at the center of a star eventually ends as it runs out of fuel so the process can't go on forever.Emma Chapman: When fusion stops, you lose that internal pressure, which pushes against gravity. You lose a tug of war and the gravity starts to push down on the star.Grant Tremblay: You know that that saying, “Live fast, die young”? That really applies to stars, right? So the most massive, luminous stars have the shortest lifetimes.Nia Imara: Even though they have much more hydrogen fuel than an ordinary star like our Sun, they burn it so quickly that they only live a few million years before they burn out. And a few million years, in astronomy time, that’s the blink of an eye.Narrator: With its fuel spent, fusion reactions stop. And gravity takes over. The core collapses. Gas suddenly falls inwards, and then rebounds in a colossal explosion called a supernova. A shockwave of energy followed by material hurtling outwards into space.

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How a Star Dies in a Supernova

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Support Provided By

Explore More

NOVA Universe Revealed: Age of Stars

The Planets

Ancient Philosophers Help Scientists Decode Brightest Supernova on Record