Supernova traced to collision of white dwarf stars
Friday, January 13, 2012 - 21:30
in Astronomy & Space
Two scientists studying a Type 1a supernova may have pinned down the cause of such massive stellar explosions, they report in the journal Nature.Type 1a supernovae, exploding stars that can outshine entire galaxies, were instrumental to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery that a mysterious "dark energy" is fueling the expansion of the universe. But astronomers haven't been able to pin down what causes these massive stellar explosions.