supernova
noun
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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.
Examples of supernova in a Sentence
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
By quickly training the VLT at the exploding star, astronomers could observe an initial breakout shape that forms before the supernova explosion starts interacting with surrounding material.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2025
Klay Thompson goes off in OKC With the Warriors facing elimination in Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals, Klay Thompson went supernova to force a Game 7.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
For years, Weber claimed to continue to detect these waves, including when our Local Group’s closest and most recent supernova went off in 1987.
—Big Think, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for supernova
Cite this Entry
“Supernova.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernova. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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supernova
noun
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