Supernova

Supernova: A study published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that universe’s oldest stars became sources of water through supernova explosions.

• About Supernova: It is the biggest explosion humans have ever observed, marking the death of massive stars. It is an extremely bright, super-powerful explosion that occurs when a star exhausts its nuclear fuel.

o The first stars formed a few hundred million years after the Big Bang (13.8 billion years ago), made up of primordial hydrogen and helium.

o When these stars ran out of hydrogen, they exploded as supernovae, triggering a cycle of star births in perpetuity.

• Origin of Water in the Universe: Water is the third most abundant molecule in the universe, after hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

o Population III stars — the universe's oldest stars — were massive and composed entirely of hydrogen and helium.

o These stars exploded as supernovae, producing oxygen, which combined with hydrogen to create water molecules.

o 3D simulations showed that the conditions for water formation existed between 50 million and 1 billion years after the Big Bang.