Make a Supernova: SN 1006

Over 1,000 years ago, ancient observers were treated to the celestial fireworks display of this exploded star without understanding its cause or implications. Astronomers now understand that SN (Supernova) 1006 was caused by a white dwarf star that captured mass from a companion star until the white dwarf became unstable and exploded. Recent observations of the remnant of SN 1006 reveal the release of elements such as iron that were previously locked up inside the star. When the object we now ca