"A brief introduction to the physics of supernovae--explosions of dying stars that yield heavy chemical elements and spark the birth of new stars--and to past, present, and future research directions"--

Or Graur is Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation.

Series Foreword ix
Introduction xi
1 Supernovae through the Ages 1
2 Supernovae in the Modern Era 19
3 Enlightened by Light 39
4 The Lives and Deaths of Stars 57
5 Supernovae, the Universe, and Us 81
6 Supernovae as Tools 99
7 Burning Questions 121
8 A Bright Future 143
Conclusions 167
Acknowledgments 171
Units and Elementary Particles 173
Glossary 175
Notes 183
Further Reading 203
Index 205