supernova
noun
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.
Examples of supernova in a Sentence
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
4 July 2026
The visit then took us into the future with the star going supernova, putting on a show that no one on Earth has seen for centuries.
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Rob Pegoraro,
ArsTechnica,
3 July 2026
Musk’s unusual lock-up structure presents investors with a case of extremes, giving the stock a ballast of stability for the first year, followed by the potential for a supernova event.
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Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
3 July 2026
About 11,000 light-years away from Earth, the supernova Cassiopeia A’s X-rays (seen above) are rendered in blue and purple, while infrared wavelengths are shown in red and white using data from JWST.
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Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for supernova
Cite this Entry
“Supernova.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernova. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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supernova
noun
