Stars are ticking time bombs in the universe. If their cores collapse into a black hole, dangerous streams of energetic matter shoot through the universe. This event is known in science as a supernova. But what does the death of a star in our universe mean for us on Earth?
Astronomer Phil Plait meets with experienced pyrotechnicians to reconstruct a supernova. Using giant explosions and an infrared camera, he hopes to discover what happens in our universe when a star dies.
However, a supernova can be even more powerful. Researchers then refer to it as a hypernova, which is still dangerous even at unimaginable distances. Experts also recreate this phenomenon. Could a supernova or hypernova surprise us?
During a supernova, a huge amount of gamma radiation is released. Scientists in a laboratory in New Mexico are studying how this radiation affects Earth's environment, as history reveals that gamma rays must have touched the Earth's surface many millions of years ago.
It has now been discovered that stars die every day in the universe. Even Earth would not exist without such energy discharges. Radiation bursts create the conditions for the birth of new stars and planets.
This documentary from the series "Death from Space" presents the events surrounding a supernova. Fascinating images, informative expert interviews, and breathtaking experiments make this documentary a truly immersive experience.
