Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Researchers have designed a new 3D model of a neutrino-driven supernova, the longest and most detailed to date. The new computer model is helping astrophysicists understand the mechanics of massive star deaths.
When massive stars die, their giant iron cores -- typically 1.5 times larger than the size of the sun -- collapse in on themselves, forming an ultra-dense neutron star. The process takes only a fraction of a second.