Supernovae
Supernovas happen when massive stars explode at the end of their lives. They are extremely bright due to the large amounts of energy being released at once.
Type Ia supernovae
Type Ia supernovas happen in a binary system containing two stars. One of the stars is a white dwarf, while the other can range from a giant star to another white dwarf. The white dwarf would absorb the gas of the larger star, causing it to expand. Once the white dwarf reaches a critical mass, it would explode.
Neutron stars
Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of what was once a massive star. It is extremely dense, and some rotate extremely quickly. it is mostly made of neutrons, due to the fusion of protons and electrons due to its gravity.
Magnetars
Magnetars are neutron stars with an extremely strong magnetic field. They are a rare type of neutron star, and there are only 30 of them currently known.
Pulsars
Pulsars are neutron stars with an extremely quick rotation. They can rotate many times per second. A "glitch" occurs when its rotational speed suddenly increases.
Their rotational speed could increase and decrease, in a spin-up and spin-down process.
Black holes
Although invisible, black holes can be detected through the use of a companion star due to pertubations.
Reflection
Today's lesson was interesting as it was more interactive. The slides were not uninteresting, and there was a nice quiz at the end. The slides were not dense, and not too much was used. They also contained some images to illustrate the point. The presentation could be improved by changing the colour scheme, as it was difficult to see some text.
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