20. What are supernovas? How big and how hot are they? Will we ever have a chance to see one? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Supernovae are the explosions of stars that have reached the ends of their lifetimes. Temperatures in the cores of the exploding stars can reach temperatures of around 1,800,000,000° F. We observe dozens of them every year, mostly in other galaxies. A famous supernova, referred to as Supernova 1987A, occurred in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way in 1987 and astronomers continue to observe its aftereffects.

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Answer provided by Dirk Terrell, Ph.D.

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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