Types Of Supernovas

A supernova is an explosion of a massive supergiant star that may shine with the brightness of 10 billion suns. Supernovae are classified as Type I or Type II depending on their light curves and spectra. Type I supernovae exhibit sharp maxima that decay gradually and lack hydrogen, while Type II have less sharp peaks, decay more sharply, and contain hydrogen. Type Ia supernovae, specifically, have become important for measuring cosmological distances due to their reliable peak brightness.