Hypernova

A hypernova is an exceptionally energetic stellar explosion, usually produced by the collapse of a massive star. Some hypernovae accompany long gamma-ray bursts and form black holes.

Connect

Core-collapse supernova: An explosion caused by the collapse of the iron-rich core of a massive star. Hypernovae are an unusually energetic subset of massive-star core-collapse explosions.
SN 1998bw: An unusually energetic supernova associated with the gamma-ray burst GRB 980425. Its association with a nearby gamma-ray burst helped establish the hypernova connection.
Wolf–Rayet star: A hot, massive star that has lost much or all of its hydrogen-rich outer layers. Stripped massive stars are leading candidates for long-burst hypernova progenitors.
Type Ia supernova: A thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf in a binary system. Unlike a hypernova, it is not the collapse of a massive stellar core.
Collapsar: A model in which a massive stellar core collapses into a black hole surrounded by an accreting disk. The accretion disk can power jets associated with some hypernovae.
GRB 980425: A relatively weak, nearby gamma-ray burst detected in 1998. It was observed alongside SN 1998bw, an early supernova–gamma-ray burst association.
Type Ic supernova: A core-collapse supernova whose spectrum lacks prominent hydrogen and helium lines. Many observed hypernovae are broad-lined Type Ic supernovae.
Electron-capture supernova: A proposed core-collapse explosion triggered when electron captures destabilize a star’s core. It is expected to be much less energetic than a hypernova.
Gamma-ray burst: A brief, intense flash of gamma rays from a distant cosmic explosion. Long gamma-ray bursts are sometimes observed alongside hypernovae.
SN 2003dh: A broad-lined Type Ic supernova associated with the gamma-ray burst GRB 030329. Its spectra provided a clear example of a supernova accompanying a long gamma-ray burst.