This image was made with one of the most powerful telescopes in the world, the 200 inch Palomar. Yet, even though astronomers are certain this nebula is the debris of TychoΓÇÖs Star, they are still unable to identify any remnants of the starΓÇÖs core. The absence of a core suggests that the supernova was what astronomers classify as Type I. A Type I supernova results from the thermonuclear explosion of very small but very dense stars known as white dwarfs, which blow up when their gravity pulls in matter from a nearby companion star. Such a supernova leaves no detectable remains of the starΓÇÖs core. A Type II supernova, on the other hand, is thought to be the last stage in the evolution of a massive star. After its explosion this type of
