Video A video introduction to dark energy, narrated by StarDate's Sandy Wood - Play video |
GlossarySupernova The explosive death of a star. There are two basic varieties of supernovae. One forms when the core of a massive star collapses and its outer layers blast into space. The other forms when a white dwarf star (the exposed, dense core of a once-normal star like the Sun) steals gas from a companion star. When enough gas builds up, it triggers a runaway reaction that blasts the star to bits. The brightness of a white-dwarf supernova, known as a Type Ia, varies in a predictable way, making them good "standard candles" for measuring distances to remote galaxies. Type Ia supernovae are used as a probe for evaluating different models of dark energy. |
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Copyright ©2008-2013 McDonald Observatory. HETDEX is a collaboration of The University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, Universitats-Sternwärte Munich, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP), Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Institut für Astrophysik Göttingen, and University of Oxford. Financial support is provided by the State of Texas, the United States Air Force, the National Science Foundation and the generous contributions of many private foundations and individuals.
