Current Models
The type codes described above that astronomers give to supernovas are taxonomic in nature: the type number describes the light observed from the supernova, not necessarily its cause. For example, type Ia supernovae are produced from degenerate white dwarf progenitors by accretion of material while the spectrally similar type Ib/c are produced from massive Wolf-Rayet progenitors by core collapse. The following summarizes what astronomers currently believe are the most plausible explanations for supernovae.
Read more about this topic: Supernova
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