The Progenitor
Scroll to initiate temporal dive. We are observing a binary system containing a white dwarf, silently drawing matter from its companion star, building towards a critical mass threshold.
Chandrasekhar Limit
The core temperature spikes. Carbon fusion ignites uncontrollably. The star is no longer stable. The calm before the cosmic storm.
Core Collapse
Gravity overwhelms electron degeneracy pressure. The core collapses inward at immense speeds, creating a rebound shockwave of unimaginable power.
Ignition & Explosion
October 9, 1604. The light reaches Earth. A thermonuclear explosion blows the star apart, outshining the entire galaxy for weeks.
The Remnant
Centuries later, an expanding shell of radioactive gas and dust travels outward at thousands of kilometers per second, seeding the cosmos.