supernova

noun

su·​per·​no·​va ˌsü-pər-ˈnō-və 

1

: the explosion of a star in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun

2

: one that explodes into prominence or popularity

also : superstar

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.

Synonyms

• blockbuster
• hit
• megahit
• smash
• success
• winner

Examples of supernova in a Sentence

tragically, a shoulder injury cut short the pitching career of one of baseball's brightest supernovas

Recent Examples on the Web

Stars that change in brightness, known as variable stars, get brighter and dimmer; supernovas burst into view and then gradually fade away; and thousands of objects too faint to see with the unaided eye, like asteroids, move steadily across the sky. —Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024

The famed Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan, which detected all of 12 neutrinos from a distant supernova in 1987, uses 50,000 metric tons of ultrapure water to catch a glimpse of the occasional neutrino interaction. —Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 11 June 2024

Seeing supernovas explode billions of light-years away led to the discovery of dark energy. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 7 June 2024

Supernovae occur in two main ways: One is when a star siphons too much material from a smaller companion star and explodes—this results in a type Ia supernova such as Kepler’s Supernova. —Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

supernova

noun

su·​per·​no·​va ˌsü-pər-ˈnō-və 

: the explosion of a very large star in which the star temporarily gives off up to one billion times more energy than the sun