A supernova (from the Latin nova, "new") is a stellar explosion that can manifest itself very notably.
For this reason, events of this nature were initially called stellae novae ("new stars") or simply novae. Over time, a distinction was made between apparently similar phenomena, but with very different intrinsic luminosity; the less luminous ones continued to be called novae (novas), while the term supernova is used to denote the more luminous ones, adding the prefix "super."
Supernovae produce bursts of extremely intense light that can last from several weeks to several months. They are characterized by a rapid increase in luminous intensity until they reach an absolute magnitude greater than the rest of the galaxy.
Source: Chile Mobile Observatory - Marca Chile
Photo: National Geographic
