SpaceTime

Image: Supernova remnant N 63A. Credit: NASA/ESA/HEIC and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Models for supernovae (SNe) related to thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs (WDs) have been extensively studied over the last few decades, mostly focusing on single degenerate (accretion of material of a WD) and double degenerate (WD-WD merger) scenarios.

Image: Combined HST and Chnadra imaging of the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5 in the LMC To find distances in space, astronomers use objects called "standard candles", objects that give a certain, known amount of light. Because astronomers know how bright these objects truly are, they can measure their distance from us by analyzing how dim they appear.