https://spacescoop.org/en/scoops/2528/whats-the-shape-of-a-supernova/
Rewritten & recorded by your editor, Richard Drumm.
When you imagine an explosion in space, a supernova is usually what first comes to mind. But astronomers are still quite puzzled by some of the details of these cosmic fireworks. The typical supernova we often picture is really the end of a massive star's life.
And a very dramatic ending at that!
During its existence, a star keeps its spherical shape through a very delicate balance between:
- the outward pressure created by the core's nuclear heat, what we call the radiation pressure, and
- the gravity that compresses the star toward its center of mass.
We call this balance a state of hydrostatic equilibrium.
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