an explosive force like a bomb or is it due to the elastic properties of the fabric of time. The sudden and drastic reduction of mass/area causing the fabric to contract back together and propel matter away. an example; Say you had a 1000lb man on a trampoline and the trampoline held his weight and with in milliseconds he lost 999lbs. He would be launched.
2006-07-08 15:32:48 · 3 answers · asked by aorton27 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Supernovas explode because the core collapses quickly as a result of a sudden decrease in core pressure when the core stops burning silicon and lithium. The degenerate matter in the core which kept the pressure high and kept the star from collapsing under its own weight finally stops working. The rebounding shock wave of matter and energy blows the star apart. The ejecta released by the explosion escapes from the star because it has escape velocity. Now the other concept you talk about as a "rebounding of space/time is incorrect. What's happening is the collapse of core, then the rebounding shock wave radiating mass and energy outward. The remnants of the supernova then become a neutron star. But there's no rubber sheet geometry involved here.
2006-07-08 16:21:31 · answer #1 · answered by flyfisher_20750 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A supernova is initiated when a very massive star can no longer maintain nuclear fusion in it core to generate the internal pressure needed to hold up its mass against the pull of gravity. The star begins to collapse in on itself, with the outer parts of the star (a few hundred million miles from the center) moving at close to the speed of light.
The collapse drives the pressure at the center of the star very high, and the material there will suddenly solidify under this high pressure. Then, the rest of the material falling in from the outer reaches of the star will bounce off this solid core and now expand outward at very high (explosive?) speeds. This expansion of material will continue for thousands of years, slowing under the force of gravity as it expands. The solid core (usually a neutron star, about 10 miles in diameter) is very very hot, and so it glows. This lights up the expanding material, creating a visible "supernova remnant" which can be observed.
There are serveral beautiful examples of supernova remnants, with the Crab Nebula being the most famous.
2006-07-09 00:58:59 · answer #2 · answered by not_2_worried 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow...this is way heavy...i gotta go to the lite reading section...
2006-07-08 22:36:46 · answer #3 · answered by iguana 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋