Песня южнокорейской группы aespa «Supernova» посвящена финальному взрыву массивных звезд

In 2024, the popular Korean girl group aespa came out with a song called “Supernova,” a creative song that blends astronomy and art, representing the confidence and energy of the members, Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning. When reading the English translation of the song, we can read lyrics like “bring the light of a dying star”, or “The explosion inside me is so huge, Made from every cell of my stars (Under my control, ah)”. This essentially is the definition of a supernova, a ginormous explosion of a star that occurs when massive stars are near the end of their life. It is bright, beautiful, and unfortunately the last event of a high mass star. The mass of stars plays an important role in whether a supernova explosion will occur, mainly as it reveals the lifecycle. Low mass stars follow the same beginning as high mass stars; however, they eventually turn into planetary nebulas by shedding their layers. Stars in space, regardless of mass, begin as clouds mostly consisting of hydrogen and helium. The continuous growth eventually leads to its next stage in life, the main sequence, which is where it’s burning its hydrogen fuel. Larger stars, however, burn their hydrogen fuel at a much faster rate than smaller stars, leading to very short lifetimes of only millions of years. In time, the star will eventually burn heavier elements up to iron, which builds up in the core of the star. Burning iron into heavier elements steals energy rather than creating it. Since there is no energy to push the outer shell outward, it collapses, compacts, and then recoils off its iron core, like a slinky. A blast so powerful that what only remains is a black hole or neutron star. Two remnant objects that contain substantial amounts of gravity in a concentrated spot. Do not lose hope though! High mass stars aren't just reduced to nothing. Their explosion sends a shockwave that brings heavier elements to other gas clouds, thus contributing to the new lives of stars. Like the process of supernovas, aespa’s song represents a radiant transformation, by breaking out of the old shell to show the real you. Music written and produced by Kenny Mihelich (pronounced ma-HELL-itch). Western Slope Skies is produced by the Colorado Mesa University Astronomy Club, the Western Slope Dark Sky Coalition, and KVNF Community Radio. This feature was written and voiced by Emma Cassidy.