What is Core collapse supernova?

A core collapse supernova is when a giant star explodes because its heart can't keep going anymore.

Imagine you have a super strong, big balloon that’s been filled with air and stretched really thin, it's like the inside of a star. This balloon has been growing bigger and bigger for a long time, but one day, the pressure gets too much, and poof!, it bursts. That’s kind of what happens in a core collapse supernova.

Stars are like big balls of fire that burn for millions of years. They keep burning because they have fuel inside them, like food for a star. But when the fuel runs out, the center of the star can’t hold up anymore and collapses in on itself.

It’s like when you squeeze a balloon too hard, it bursts! The collapse sends a shockwave through the star, making it explode with bright light and sending stuff flying everywhere. This explosion is so bright that we can see it from very far away, even though it happened in space!

Sometimes, after this big burst, what’s left of the star becomes something new, like a neutron star or maybe even a black hole! It's like when you blow up a balloon and all that air is gone, but there's still some rubber left.