Can a supernova destroy a planet?
John Thompson
Updated on January 10, 2026
According to the model, when stars at least 7 to 10 times the mass of our sun go supernova, the blast swallows any inner planets, those orbiting out to several times the distance between Earth and the sun. (See "Red Giant Sun May Not Destroy Earth.")
Can a supernova destroy Earth?
A supernova is a spectacular explosion of a massive star. If our sun exploded as a supernova, the resulting shock wave probably wouldn't incinerate the entire Earth, but the side of Earth facing the sun would boil away.Can supernovas destroy galaxies?
Supernovas are created during the last moments of a star's life. These gigantic explosions can wipe out galaxies and the planets inside them.Can a supernova vaporize a planet?
Yes, absolutely. A supernova would annihilate anything within its blast zone. A that includes really big planets. Bigger than Jupiter.Would a supernova destroy Jupiter?
In conclusion, a supernova has enough power to completely destroy Jupiter. It is possible that there might be a small core that survives, and would be ejected as part of the supernova remnant.What If a Supernova Exploded Close to Earth?
Will we see a supernova in 2022?
While scientists are confident a supernova will occur in 2022, whether it occurs in our galaxy is a different matter. In any given year, it is an unlikely prospect. On the other hand, one day it may just happen in our galactic neighbourhood. If it does, astronomers say they will be ready.Can a supernova destroy a black hole?
The likely result would either be a black hole-black hole binary system; a neutron star-black hole binary system, or the black hole and the compact remnant from the second supernova explosion would go their separate ways at reasonably high speeds. You cannot disrupt a black hole in this way.Can Betelgeuse destroy Earth?
Will the Betelgeuse supernova destroy Earth? No. Whenever Betelgeuse does blow up, our planet Earth is too far away for this explosion to harm, much less destroy, life on Earth. Astrophysicists say we'd have to be within 50 light-years of a supernova for it to harm us.What could survive a supernova?
Distant planets can survive a supernova. After the explosion, the star might be no more (for example after a pair-instability supernova). So, surviving planes might have nothing left to orbit. Even if there is a stellar remnant (black hole or neutron star), it will be far smaller then the initial star.Will 2 stars collide in 2022?
According to study from a team of researchers from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a binary star system that will likely merge and explode in 2022. This is an historic find, since it will allow astronomers to witness a stellar merger and explosion for the first time in history.What if sun exploded?
For Earth to be completely safe from a supernova, we'd need to be at least 50 to 100 light-years away! But the good news is that, if the Sun were to explode tomorrow, the resulting shockwave wouldn't be strong enough to destroy the whole Earth. Only the side facing the Sun would boil away instantly.What if a supernova exploded close to Earth?
If a supernova explosion were to occur within about 25 light-years of Earth, our planet would probably lose its atmosphere, and all life would perish. However, astronomers haven't found any dangerous supernova candidates in our cosmic backyard, so there's no reason to worry.Has any planet ever exploded?
An asteroid or icy object collided with the gas giant Jupiter on Sept. 13, where it eventually blew up in the planet's thick clouds. A Brazilian space photographer, José Luis Pereira, captured the rarely-seen solar system event, which is shown in the intriguing footage below.Can a planet explode?
As far as astronomers know, there is no internal mechanism or other phenomenon that could ever cause a planet to fly apart. Contrary to science fiction, planets are stable and causing one to explode would require some chemical or nuclear process which can provide an explosive punch of energy.Could a supernova have killed the dinosaurs?
Previous studies have suggested that a supernova would have to be quite close to Earth — within 25 light-years or so — to trigger a major mass extinction such as the one 65 million years ago that marked the end of the age of dinosaurs.What causes a Hypernova?
A hypernova (sometimes called a collapsar) is a very energetic supernova thought to result from an extreme core-collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin energetic jets and surrounded by an accretion disk.Will our Sun go supernova?
No supernova, no black holeOur sun isn't massive enough to trigger a stellar explosion, called a supernova, when it dies, and it will never become a black hole either. In order to create a supernova, a star needs about 10 times the mass of our sun.