supernova
noun
Did you know?
A nova, despite its name, isn't actually a "new" star, but rather one that wasn't noticed until it exploded, when it may increase in brightness by a million times before returning to its previous state a few days later. A supernova is far larger; a star in its supernova state may emit a billion times as much light as previously. After a few weeks it begins to dim, until it eventually ceases to exist; it's often replaced by a black hole. (Though remains that were shot out into space may survive; those of a great supernova seen in A.D. 1054 are now known as the Crab Nebula.) All this may serve as a warning to those human stars whose fame explodes too rapidly; supernovas of this kind have sometimes vanished by the following year.
Examples of supernova in a Sentence
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
The Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom was abuzz Sunday evening with the rolling thunder of excited conversations, clinking glasses and the general whoosh of pedestrian traffic around a party packed with mega-stars and supernovas including Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Springsteen.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Jan. 2024
Barbra brings the house down before even saying a word
There are stars, and then there are those celebrity supernovas who leave even the biggest stars starstruck.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2024
The explosions unleashed by supernovas are among the strongest known in the world.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
Read More: How Many Ways Can the Sun Kill Us?
While violent, supernovas are very important for the genesis of the elements created in the massive explosions.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
Lensed supernovas could also be promising tools for investigating dark energy and dark matter.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 June 2023
Despite their ubiquity, the origins of those celestial sparks remain a mystery, although supernovas and ordinary stars like our sun are suspected to be prime sources.
—Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 23 Nov. 2023
Photograph: Tod Lauer The first was that Fan’s galaxies started off filled with standard, roughly stellar-mass black holes of the sort supernovas often leave behind.
—WIRED, 5 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supernova.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near supernova
Cite this Entry
“Supernova.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernova. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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supernova
noun
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