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Week 13 Lecture & Reading Discussion_Introduction to General Astronomy

Week 13 Lecture & Reading Discussion_Introduction to General Astronomy

Q Part 1: State why a white dwarf becomes a violent Type 1A supernova, instead of a gentle nova explosion, depending on where fusion restarts. Then, briefly explain why the Chandrasekhar limit allows astronomers to estimate distances far beyond the what is possible with the old parallax method (like Tycho Brahe used). Part 2: Briefly cover the key difference between Type 1A and Type 2 supernovae.

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Depending on where fusion restarts inside the white dwarf and the amount the white dwarfs receives mass too quickly from a companion star, it can become a Type 1A Supernova, which is the 1.4M? times the gravity stronger than the electron degeneracy pressure. the Chandrasekhar limit allows astronomers to estimate distances and this is how we understand the difference between when a white dwarf remains a gentle nova or else become Type 1A Supernova.