Types of Supernovae
Supernova Type↕ | Progenitor↕ | Mechanism↕ | Peak Brightness↕ | Famous Example↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type Ia | White dwarf in binary system | Thermonuclear runaway at Chandrasekhar limit | Absolute magnitude -19.3 | SN 1572 (Tycho's Supernova) | Standard candles for cosmology, discovered dark energy 1998 |
Type Ib | Massive star stripped of hydrogen | Core collapse | Absolute magnitude -17 | SN 2008D | No hydrogen lines, Wolf-Rayet star progenitor |
Type Ic | Massive star stripped of hydrogen and helium | Core collapse | Absolute magnitude -17 | SN 1994I in M51 | Associated with long gamma-ray bursts |
Type II-P | Red supergiant 8-50 solar masses | Iron core collapse with hydrogen envelope | Absolute magnitude -17 | SN 1987A in LMC | Plateau in light curve, most common core-collapse type |
Type II-L | Red supergiant with thinner envelope | Iron core collapse | Absolute magnitude -17.5 | SN 1979C in M100 | Linear light curve decline |
Type IIn | Luminous Blue Variable stars | Shock through dense circumstellar material | Absolute magnitude -18 to -22 | SN 2006gy | Narrow emission lines, interaction with prior mass loss |
Type IIb | Yellow supergiant in binary | Core collapse after partial stripping | Absolute magnitude -17 | SN 1993J in M81 | Transitional between Type II and Type Ib |
Hypernova | Very massive star (over 30 solar masses) | Energetic core collapse with jets | Absolute magnitude -19 to -22 | SN 1998bw linked to GRB 980425 | Link to long gamma-ray bursts, forms black hole |
Pair-Instability Supernova | Star of 130-250 solar masses | Pair production destabilizes core | Absolute magnitude -21 | SN 2006gy (candidate) | Complete disruption, no remnant, earliest stars |
Kilonova | Neutron star merger | Merger with r-process nucleosynthesis | Absolute magnitude -16 | GW170817 / AT 2017gfo | Multi-messenger event, confirmed source of gold and platinum |
Superluminous Supernova | Very massive star or magnetar powered | Magnetar spin-down or interaction | Absolute magnitude -21 to -23 | ASASSN-15lh | Up to 100x brighter than normal supernovae |
Electron Capture SN | Star of 8-10 solar masses | Electron capture on Mg and Ne in O-Ne-Mg core | Absolute magnitude -16 | SN 2018zd (candidate) | Bridge between core-collapse and white dwarf fates |
Historical SN 1054 (Crab) | Core-collapse supernova | Type II core collapse | Visible in daylight for weeks | Crab Nebula, Chinese observers | Left pulsar PSR B0531+21, recorded by Chinese astronomers |
Historical SN 1006 | White dwarf (Type Ia) | Thermonuclear runaway | Brightest stellar event in history | SN 1006 in Lupus | Observed in Egypt, China, Europe, Japan; outshone Venus |
Historical SN 1987A | Blue supergiant Sanduleak -69 202 | Core collapse Type II-P peculiar | Visible to naked eye | SN 1987A in Large Magellanic Cloud | First SN with detected neutrinos, closest since 1604 |
Kepler's Supernova (SN 1604) | White dwarf candidate | Type Ia thermonuclear | Brighter than all planets | SN 1604 in Ophiuchus | Last naked-eye supernova in the Milky Way, observed by Kepler |
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