Supernovae — MCQs

1. What is a supernova?
(A) Birth of a star
(B) Sudden explosion of a star
(C) Collision of galaxies
(D) Formation of a black hole only

2. Which type of supernova involves the collapse of a massive star?
(A) Type Ia
(B) Type II
(C) Type Ib
(D) Type Ic

3. Type Ia supernovae are caused by:
(A) White dwarf accreting matter from a companion
(B) Core collapse of massive stars
(C) Merger of neutron stars
(D) Star formation bursts

4. The Chandrasekhar limit is approximately:
(A) 1.4 solar masses
(B) 2.5 solar masses
(C) 5 solar masses
(D) 10 solar masses

5. Which elements are mainly produced during supernova explosions?
(A) Helium and hydrogen
(B) Heavy elements beyond iron
(C) Carbon and oxygen
(D) Lithium and beryllium

6. Which of the following is a famous historical supernova observed in 1054 AD?
(A) Tycho’s supernova
(B) Crab Nebula supernova
(C) Kepler’s supernova
(D) SN1987A

7. The remnant of SN1987A is located in:
(A) Milky Way
(B) Andromeda Galaxy
(C) Large Magellanic Cloud
(D) Small Magellanic Cloud

8. What is left behind after a Type II supernova?
(A) White dwarf
(B) Neutron star or black hole
(C) Brown dwarf
(D) Protostar

9. Type Ia supernovae are important because they act as:
(A) Black hole progenitors
(B) Standard candles for measuring cosmic distances
(C) Star-forming regions
(D) Sources of gamma-ray bursts

10. What triggers a Type II supernova?
(A) Excess hydrogen burning
(B) Gravitational collapse of an iron core
(C) Neutron star merger
(D) Carbon fusion in white dwarfs

11. Which famous astronomer observed a supernova in 1604?
(A) Galileo
(B) Tycho Brahe
(C) Johannes Kepler
(D) Copernicus

12. What type of radiation is often observed after a supernova explosion?
(A) Gamma rays
(B) Infrared
(C) Ultraviolet
(D) Radio waves

13. Supernova remnants enrich the interstellar medium with:
(A) Helium only
(B) Metals (elements heavier than helium)
(C) Dark matter
(D) Antimatter

14. Which type of supernova lacks hydrogen lines in its spectrum?
(A) Type II
(B) Type Ib and Ic
(C) Type Ia
(D) Both B and C

15. What is the main difference between Type Ib and Type Ic supernovae?
(A) Ib lacks helium lines, Ic lacks both hydrogen and helium lines
(B) Ib shows hydrogen lines, Ic does not
(C) Ib occurs in white dwarfs, Ic in neutron stars
(D) Ib is dimmer than Ic

16. Which process is responsible for heavy element creation in supernovae?
(A) Proton-proton chain
(B) r-process nucleosynthesis
(C) s-process nucleosynthesis
(D) Triple-alpha process

17. The light curve of Type Ia supernovae is powered mainly by the decay of:
(A) Carbon-12
(B) Nickel-56
(C) Iron-56
(D) Oxygen-16

18. What is a hypernova?
(A) A faint supernova
(B) A very energetic supernova, often linked with gamma-ray bursts
(C) A failed supernova
(D) A nova explosion

19. Which force halts the collapse of a white dwarf before it reaches the Chandrasekhar limit?
(A) Gravity
(B) Strong nuclear force
(C) Electron degeneracy pressure
(D) Neutron degeneracy pressure

20. Which galaxy hosted SN1885A, the first observed extragalactic supernova?
(A) Milky Way
(B) Andromeda Galaxy
(C) Large Magellanic Cloud
(D) Triangulum Galaxy

21. Which type of supernova can lead to the formation of pulsars?
(A) Type Ia
(B) Type II
(C) Type Ib
(D) Type Ic

22. A pair-instability supernova occurs in stars with masses greater than:
(A) 10 solar masses
(B) 25 solar masses
(C) 100 solar masses
(D) 200 solar masses

23. What causes pair-instability in massive stars?
(A) Creation of electron-positron pairs reducing pressure
(B) Strong magnetic fields
(C) Excess helium burning
(D) Rotation

24. What role do supernovae play in galaxies?
(A) Heating interstellar gas
(B) Triggering star formation
(C) Spreading heavy elements
(D) All of the above

25. Which type of supernova results from double white dwarf mergers?
(A) Type Ia
(B) Type II
(C) Type Ib
(D) Type Ic

26. Which of the following is NOT a possible remnant of a supernova?
(A) Neutron star
(B) Black hole
(C) White dwarf
(D) Pulsar

27. The collapse of massive stars leading to supernova is driven by:
(A) Fusion of hydrogen
(B) Inability to fuse iron
(C) Excessive neutrino pressure
(D) Collapse of helium shells

28. Which observatory detected neutrinos from SN1987A?
(A) Hubble Space Telescope
(B) Kamiokande II
(C) Chandra X-ray Observatory
(D) ALMA

29. Type Ia supernovae are used to measure:
(A) Mass of black holes
(B) Expansion of the universe
(C) Age of galaxies
(D) Rotation of stars

30. What fraction of a star’s mass is ejected during a typical core-collapse supernova?
(A) 10%
(B) 50%
(C) 90%
(D) 99%

31. Which element is the last to be formed in the core before a core-collapse supernova?
(A) Carbon
(B) Oxygen
(C) Silicon
(D) Iron

32. Which type of supernova can be brighter than an entire galaxy?
(A) Type Ia
(B) Superluminous supernova
(C) Type II
(D) Hypernova

33. Which factor determines the type of supernova?
(A) Mass of the progenitor star
(B) Age of the galaxy
(C) Position in the Milky Way
(D) Star’s metallicity only

34. Which particles carry away most of the energy in a core-collapse supernova?
(A) Photons
(B) Neutrinos
(C) Protons
(D) Electrons

35. A kilonova differs from a supernova in that it results from:
(A) White dwarf collapse
(B) Neutron star merger
(C) Black hole evaporation
(D) Hypernova event

36. The brightness of Type Ia supernovae is consistent because:
(A) All occur at nearly the same mass limit
(B) All occur in young galaxies
(C) All occur in red giants
(D) All occur at galactic centers

37. Which chemical element is strongly produced in Type Ia supernovae?
(A) Carbon
(B) Iron
(C) Hydrogen
(D) Helium

38. Which historical supernova was observed by Tycho Brahe in 1572?
(A) Crab Nebula supernova
(B) Tycho’s supernova
(C) Kepler’s supernova
(D) SN1987A

39. What is the approximate rate of supernovae in the Milky Way?
(A) 1 per year
(B) 2–3 per century
(C) 10 per century
(D) 100 per century

40. Which of the following can a core-collapse supernova produce?
(A) Gamma-ray bursts
(B) Neutron stars
(C) Black holes
(D) All of the above

41. Which type of supernova shows hydrogen in its spectrum?
(A) Type Ia
(B) Type Ib
(C) Type Ic
(D) Type II

42. The remnant of Tycho’s supernova is observed today as a:
(A) Pulsar
(B) Supernova remnant nebula
(C) White dwarf
(D) Black hole

43. What is the approximate energy released by a typical supernova?
(A) 10^26 joules
(B) 10^32 joules
(C) 10^44 joules
(D) 10^46 joules

44. Which explosion is more powerful than a typical supernova?
(A) Nova
(B) Hypernova
(C) Planetary nebula
(D) White dwarf cooling

45. Which element dominates the ejecta of Type Ia supernovae?
(A) Helium
(B) Carbon
(C) Iron-group elements
(D) Oxygen

46. Which property of supernovae helps calibrate the cosmic distance ladder?
(A) Peak luminosity
(B) Expansion speed
(C) Remnant size
(D) Ejecta temperature

47. What causes the bright optical display of a supernova?
(A) Gravitational collapse
(B) Radioactive decay of heavy elements
(C) Magnetic fields
(D) Shock wave only

48. The Crab Nebula contains a:
(A) Black hole
(B) White dwarf
(C) Pulsar
(D) Supergiant star

49. Which process dominates the core collapse of massive stars?
(A) Neutron degeneracy pressure failure
(B) Iron photodisintegration and neutrino emission
(C) Proton-proton chain
(D) CNO cycle

50. Which astronomical tools are crucial for studying supernova remnants?
(A) X-ray and radio telescopes
(B) Infrared cameras only
(C) Optical telescopes only
(D) Gravitational wave detectors only