©NASA |
SN 2006gy and the core of it's home galaxy NGC 1260 |
Supernovae occur when a star nears the end of its life, and the nuclear processes that fuel the star push outward more powerfully than the force of gravity can hold the star together; the type of supernova created depends on the mass of the star. In stars with masses between 95-130 times the Sun, this process can occur more than once, creating a "pulsational" supernova which can happen as many as seven times.
The cause for the multiple explosions may have to do with the production of antimatter particles in the core, which then recombine and release large amounts of energy.
"The pair instability is encountered when, late in the star's life, a large amount of thermal energy goes into making the masses of an increasing abundance of electron-positron pairs rather than providing pressure," wrote Dr. Stan Woosley, of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, USCS Santa Cruz.
What happens is this: the first supernova occurs, powered by the antimatter explosions in the core, and ejects a large amount of the star's material out into space; however, there still remains enough matter near the core for the star to reignite and begin nuclear processes once again. After between a few hundred days and a few years, another supernova occurs by the same mechanism, and when the ejected material collides with the previous shell of ejected material, the interaction gives off enormous amounts of light.
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