Q 01/05

What is a supernova?

A) A sudden brightening of a comet

B) A powerful, luminous explosion of a star

C) The birth of a new star from a gas cloud

D) A star passing in front of another

Answer · why

B) A powerful, luminous explosion of a star

For a few weeks its peak brightness can rival an entire galaxy before it fades away.

Q 02/05

Which two kinds of object can a supernova's progenitor collapse into?

A) A white dwarf or a brown dwarf

B) A quasar or a magnetar

C) A red giant or a pulsar

D) A neutron star or a black hole

Answer · why

D) A neutron star or a black hole

Alternatively the star is completely destroyed, leaving only a spreading nebula of debris.

Q 03/05

On average, how often is a supernova expected in the Milky Way?

A) About once every 61 years

B) About once every 6 years

C) About once every 610 years

D) About once every 6,100 years

Answer · why

A) About once every 61 years

Despite that, none has been seen in our galaxy since Kepler's in 1604; dust probably hid a couple since.

Q 04/05

What was the last supernova observed in the Milky Way itself?

A) Tycho's Star of 1572

B) SN 1987A in Dorado

C) Kepler's Star of 1604

D) SN 1006 in Lupus

Answer · why

C) Kepler's Star of 1604

Kepler watched it from its peak on 17 October 1604 until it faded from naked-eye view a year later.

Q 05/05

In which satellite galaxy of the Milky Way did SN 1987A explode?

A) The Large Magellanic Cloud

B) The Sagittarius Dwarf

C) The Small Magellanic Cloud

D) The Andromeda Galaxy

Answer · why

A) The Large Magellanic Cloud

It was the closest supernova of the telescopic age and was studied in unprecedented detail.