The collapse of a massive star creates what type of explosion?

• A. Supernova
• B. Nova
• C. Hypernova
• D. Gamma-Ray Burst

Answer: (A)

When a massive star runs out of fuel, gravity takes over and the iron core collapses. The core contracts and rebounds, driving a shock that blasts the star’s outer layers into space. This dramatic ejection of the star's material is a supernova. A nova is a much different, less violent event that occurs on a white dwarf in a binary system from surface fusion, not the collapse of a massive star. A hypernova is an exceptionally energetic type of core-collapse supernova, often tied to very massive stars and sometimes linked to long gamma-ray bursts, but it’s still fundamentally a supernova. A gamma-ray burst is a intense flash of gamma rays that can accompany some stellar deaths, but it isn’t the explosion of the star itself. So the collapse of a massive star creates a supernova.