The Astrology of Space - Matrix Software

The Astrology of Space
There are at least two types of supernovae: SN I and
SN II. Type I SN are powerful and brilliant, while Type
II SR are faint and much less energetic. It is now
believed that Type I SN are formed by the members
of double-star systems. The cause of a supernova
outburst is still the subject of intensive investigation
(even controversy), but it is agreed that the onset of
the explosion is ultimately related to instabilities in the
structure of the star that arise when the supply of
nuclear fuel in the central parts of the star is
exhausted (see section on Evolution of Stars for more
detail).
These instabilities occur only in stars whose mass is
greater than about 1 1/2 times that of our Sun. Less
massive stars, including the Sun, begin to contract
when their nuclear fuel is consumed. In time, the pull
of gravity is balanced by the pressure of degenerate
electrons, an incompressible electron fluid that finally
emerges because no two electrons can occupy the
same energy state. When this stable configuration is
reached, the star is called a white dwarf (which see),
and gradually dies "not with a bang, but a whimper"
as scientists delight in quoting. With stars of 1.5 solar
masses, the density and temperature in the central
core exceed the critical values beyond which stability
is possible. The star collapses under the influence of
gravity and an explosion occurs. In supernovae the
outer shells of the collapsing star are ejected at
ultrahigh velocity. In some, if not all, cases, a dense
relic is left behind – rotating neutron star or perhaps
even a black hole! The resulting magnetic field on the
surface of a neutron star can be more than a
thousand billion times stronger than the average
magnetic field on the Sun.
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