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What Makes Some Stars Explode and Others Just Fade?

Stars are like big, hot balloons. When they run out of fuel, some burst into a bright flash called a supernova, while others just shrink and fade away. It depends on how heavy the star is.

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Examples

  1. A small star slowly shrinks and becomes a quiet little white dwarf.
  2. A big star bursts into a bright supernova, lighting up space for thousands of years.
  3. Some stars even explode so brightly that they become visible from Earth, like the famous supernova in 1054.

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Categories: Space · stars· supernova· stellar evolution· astronomy