What Happens If A Star Explodes Near The Earth?

People have witnessed supernovae for millennia, but what threat do they pose to life on Earth? This video is sponsored by Brilliant. You can get started for free, or the first 200 people to sign up via brilliant.org/veritasium get 20% off a yearly subscription.
▀▀▀
A massive thanks to Prof. Hans-Thomas Janka for helping us with the physics of supernovae and GRBs. A massive thanks to Prof. Brian Thomas for all of his help with the terrestrial effects of supernovae and GRBs. This video would not have been possible without them. Also thanks to Dr. Luke Barnes for his initial help with the literature search.
Hydrogen bomb vs Supernova fact was taken from this great article by xkcd/Randall Munroe - what-if.xkcd.com/73/ (based on the calculation by Andrew Karam, 2002)
Cosmic bubble footage from
www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/1000...
Neutrino driven SN explosion simulations from iopscience.iop.org/article/10...
▀▀▀
References:
Melott, A. et al. (2019). Hypothesis: Muon radiation dose and marine megafaunal extinction at the End-Pliocene supernova. Astrobiology, 19(6), 825-830. - ve42.co/Melott1
Thomas, B. C. et al. (2016). Terrestrial effects of nearby supernovae in the early Pleistocene. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 826(1), L3 - ve42.co/Thomas1
Melott, A. L., & Thomas, B. C. (2019). From cosmic explosions to terrestrial fires?. The Journal of Geology, 127(4), 475-481. - ve42.co/Melott2
Fields, B. et al. (2019). Near-Earth supernova explosions: Evidence, implications, and opportunities. arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.04589. - ve42.co/Fields1
Thomas, B. C., Atri, D., & Melott, A. L. (2021). Gamma-ray bursts: not so much deadlier than we thought. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 500(2), 1970-1973. - ve42.co/Thomas2
Melott, A. et al. (2004). Did a gamma-ray burst initiate the late Ordovician mass extinction?. International Journal of Astrobiology, 3(1), 55-61. - ve42.co/Melott3
Firestone, R. B. (2014). Observation of 23 supernovae that exploded less than 300 pc from Earth during the past 300 kyr. The Astrophysical Journal, 789(1), 29. - ve42.co/firestone1
Janka, H. T. (2017). Neutrino emission from supernovae. arXiv preprint arXiv:1702.08713. - ve42.co/Janka1
Janka, H. T., & Hillebrandt, W. (1989). Neutrino emission from type II supernovae-an analysis of the spectra. Astronomy and astrophysics, 224, 49-56. - ve42.co/Janka2
Janka, H. T. (2017). Neutrino-driven explosions. arXiv preprint arXiv:1702.08825. - ve42.co/Janka3
Karam, P. A. (2002). Gamma and neutrino radiation dose from gamma ray bursts and nearby supernovae. Health physics, 82(4), 491-499. - ve42.co/Karam1
Melott, A. L., Thomas, et al.. (2017). A supernova at 50 pc: effects on the Earth's atmosphere and biota. The Astrophysical Journal, 840(2), 105. - ve42.co/Melott4
Ludwig, P., et al. (2016). Time-resolved 2-million-year-old supernova activity discovered in Earth’s microfossil record. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(33), 9232-9237. - ve42.co/Ludwig1
Gritschneder, et al. (2011). The supernova triggered formation and enrichment of our solar system. The Astrophysical Journal, 745(1), 22. - ve42.co/Gritschneder1
Motizuki, Y., Takahashi, et al. (2009). An Antarctic ice core recording both supernovae and solar cycles. arXiv preprint arXiv:0902.3446. - ve42.co/Motizuki
Zucker, C. et al. (2022). Star formation near the Sun is driven by expansion of the Local Bubble. Nature, 601(7893), 334-337. - ve42.co/Zucker1
Hirata, K. et al.(1987). Observation of a neutrino burst from the supernova SN1987A. - ve42.co/Hirata1
Hayes, L. A., & Gallagher, P. T. (2022). A Significant Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance Associated with Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 221009A. Research Notes of the AAS, 6(10), 222.
▀▀▀
Special thanks to our Patron supporters:
James Sanger, Louis Lebbos, Elliot Miller, Brian Busbee, Jerome Barakos M.D., Amadeo Bee, TTST, Balkrishna Heroor, Chris LaClair, John H. Austin, Jr., OnlineBookClub.org, Matthew Gonzalez, Eric Sexton, John Kiehl, Diffbot, Gnare, Dave Kircher, Burt Humburg, Blake Byers, Evgeny Skvortsov, Meekay, Bill Linder, Paul Peijzel, Josh Hibschman, Mac Malkawi, Mike Schneider, John Bauer, jim buckmaster, Juan Benet, Sunil Nagaraj, Richard Sundvall, Lee Redden, Stephen Wilcox, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Michael Krugman, Cy 'kkm' K'Nelson, Sam Lutfi
▀▀▀
Written by Petr Lebedev & Derek Muller
Edited by Fabio Albertelli
Animation by Fabio Albertelli, Jakub Misiek, Alex Drakoulis, Ivy Tello, Mike Radjabov, and Charlie Davies
Filmed by Derek Muller
Additional Research by Kovi Rose & Katie Barnshaw
Video/photos supplied by NASA, ESA, Pond5, and Getty Images
Music from Epidemic Sound & Jonny Hyman
Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev, and Emily Zhang

[@brunosimoes6405]

I've already seen dozens of videos on KZbin about how a Supernova works, but this is another level. A complete and very well illustrated lesson in under 20 minutes. Veritasium never disappoints.

[@starnutron6147]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo ok

[@thewhitedeath3564]

@@lloyds7828 nice joke

[@TheFirstBubbaBong]

Ok don’t read your profile pic. Got it. Thanks for the warning bro.

[@TheFirstBubbaBong]

Yeah but what the real scientists are talking about a 12k year cyclical micro nova not a supper nova. You know this fact but seeing how you are a shill for the NWO agenda21 we get this nonsense. TALK ABOUT THE MICRO NOVA CYCLE NASA DISCOVERED IN THE 60’s. Talk about how it is predicted to happen again in 2043. Talk about how climate change can be explained by earths magnetic field weakening while the suns energy is ramping up to maximum. Talk about how we should be preparing for this next biblical coming that we have been warned about in every Bible on the planet.

[@EnerJetix]

@@lloyds7828 ah yes, and pigs fly as well :)

[@mayochupenjoyer]

i’m extremely proud of the way my dad explained supernovae to me when i was about 5. he told me to put my hands out, facing each other, and then he put his hands on mine. he then told me to push outwards, as hard as i can, while he pushed inwards, which made my hands collapse. he said that when a star wasn’t strong enough anymore then gravity won. now that i’m older, i’m really enjoying this more comprehensive explanation

[@rivendoto]

that is really cool

[@KeefyGizzle]

You had an uncommonly cool dad...

[@eirikdegard4498]

Thanks I will explain it like this to my children 😊

[@masterludovicus802]

Your dad is amazing ❤️

[@ConnoisseurOfExistence]

I'm very glad that my parents were telling me about black holes when I was about 4...

[@roballegar]

Your videos are thought-provoking, well-produced, and fun to watch. Thanks for making such great content.

[@Florragonis]

Wow! Thats serious dedication, donating 50 dollars for this dude. Seriously, he does deserve it.

[@Florragonis]

@@dot1298Thats some *serious* dedication there, too! I wonder if Ukraine will win the war, let’s wait and see. Time flies, and it will be a long one.

[@nachovarga8506]

@@dot1298 this was not the time or place for this comment. He may have already donated for Ukraine. You don't know that.

[@world-trade-center1]

@@dot1298 I haven't been following up on the war much but I am damn sure that they are good off. The US has given practically it's lung to the country; I'm sure the UN is probably helping; and there are so many donations and even some organizations relocating families out of the warzone. This feels pretty petty to comment. How about you donate there? Or how about you donate to homeless women and children? Or how about you donate to cancer treatment? Or Children's hospitals? Or to schools that don't have proper funding? Or to the residents in the Ohio Train Derailment? You get what I'm saying now? Honestly this comment I felt was disrespectful. People can donate to whatever they want; whenever they want; however they want. That's it. If you believe someone should've donated with THEIR money; you can instead with your own money. And before you even question me; no I did not donate anything. Period.

[@BlijfEric]

​@@world-trade-center1 even though you're just another commentator; well said!

[@joythought]

I was surprised a few years ago to learn that gold and heavier elements are unlikely to be created in a standard supernova but require a more extreme ultranova or similar event such as star collisions to produce special elements like gold. That just adds to how lucky we are to have such abundance of uranium, gold, etc on our planet.

[@sathanyam2193]

Actually fission stops at nickel not iron. It's a myth that iron is the most stable element, but nickel is more stable

[@chrisrace744]

Regular super nova make gold and lots of other stuff. hypernova make black holes from which nothing escapes.

[@maximuszastrow9961]

It's almost like somebody did that intentionally Genesis 1:1

[@averageracistperson525]

I also learned a few years ago somewhere that the earth and the solar system formed from an ultranova, the collision between neutron stars. that was actually incredibly fascinating to me to know that everything that exists around me right now used to be a bunch of neutron star matter

[@ProfAzimov]

@@sathanyam2193 *Fusion

[@YouTube]

the detail and research that goes into these videos is truly next level!! keep up the amazing work 💫

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

Hello KZbin

[@AiryFake]

No way, is this official KZbin? Damn!

[@minecraftgaming4053]

Hi YT

[@angusnickerson6570]

bring back the dislike button (ps, i disliked this comment)

[@adityas9377]

Dang here after only 23 minutes

[@abiezerrosario2309]

Whenever I watch an almost 20 minute long Veritasium video, I never lose interest throughout the video and it's consistently gets my attention. The pacing of him talking quickly and pausing to make a transition makes it easier to retain the information. Also his voice is very clear and comprehensible. As always amazing stuff Veritasium, you never fail to get my attention.

[@MissionHomeowner]

You expained this clearly yourself.

[@PeterDB90]

Him and Vsauce are my favorite KZbin learning channels. Veritasium seems more "normal" interesting while Vsauce keeps your attention by being "weird" interesting.

[@ilona3630]

Also great choice of background music

[@michaelharris8913]

couldn't agree more very well put :)

[@tarrare337]

@@PeterDB90 i like watching thoughty2 also

[@renosance8941]

I'm left in awe at the explanation of how some tiny, tiny, weightless, harmless Neutrino... detonates the largest bombs in the known Universe. Just amazing how super-large events can have the smallest origins. Love this. Thank you.

[@shaansingh6048]

well when you've got 10^58 of anything it's gonna be pretty huge

[@tup4443]

I'm shure you can make a metaphor for capitalism about this

[@kalcongdon17]

You just explained this better than anyone I've ever heard or watched😮. Well done! Mad it make sense

[@Pdt7484]

The connection between astronomy, historic man, and palaeontology as a whole was absolutely mind opening. It is this reason this channel is one of the best channels on KZbin

[@tuneboyz5634]

That's right lil Jacob 😊

[@youareaclown724]

SUPERNOVA! SUPERNOVA! SUPERNOVA GOES POP!

[@timvw01]

They follow the Cosmos format, very good show

[@imaadrasool7471]

Im i agree

[@marcelofesta1290]

exatamente, q video gostoso

[@kevinarmstrong478]

This guy has that enthusiasm it’s like he is as amazed as his viewers. Like he’s not teaching or lecturing he is shearing information. I adore everything he does!

[@FRACTUREDFUNGI]

okay 👌 what i can i think 💭 would have been a little bit longer but if i can go on a break and i just make a new thing and it is fine too so much more like 👍 but it looks better and it will just keep you in touch and be 😅😅

[@animeshjain8932]

How does neon fuse into oxygen (at 3:54) Neon(Atomic no 10) is heavier than oxygen (Atomic no 8)

[@semaj_5022]

What the hell are these replies ?

[@ohyeahohyeahooooh]

The sun is a converter , stop misleading folk .repent before .. ...

[@FRACTUREDFUNGI]

@@semaj_5022 gamair!!!! 😙🤪 everything looks like it is pretty cool but it is kinda like the green brown green green bell bell brown brown eyes green green brown green green blue green brown green green bell 🛎 orange 🍊 bell 🛎 orange 🍊 tan tan orange 🍊 orange 🍊 tan green bell 🛎 orange 🍊 tan green bell 🔔 orange 🍊 green green brown green bell bell brown brown green green brown brown eyes green green bell 🛎 orange 🍊 tan tan orange green brown green bell bell 🛎 orange 🍊 tan green green brown green bell bell brown brown eyes 👀 tan green bell 🛎 bell 🛎

[@nicolemitchell737]

I'm an undergraduate student majoring in Astrophysics and Planetary Geology. Thank you SO much for this video and your sources, one of my professors was looking into an extinction event and I was curious as well. This has given me a starting place on research to piece things together! While I was pondering on possibilities I remembered this video. Veritasium, you are doing an amazing job with your channel. I have sent many of your videos to friends to help explain concepts, they always love your content too!

[@saltedcod3533]

This was such a ridiculously interesting episode! I didn’t understand half of it, but it was so exciting to learn all these new things.

[@samsisohussein4764]

This is far better than a complete sponsored documentary. This is very inspirational and underrated content!

[@ThomasSeeds]

Definitely not underrated. But youre right great content.

[@Ignirium]

yeah, this is basically why i gave up watching TV about 10-15 years ago.

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@Ignirium bruh lol

[@belledetector]

13.1m subs doesn´t qualify as underrated ;-)

[@samsisohussein4764]

@@belledetector haha also true. but still, I believe KZbin creators are still underrated and they deserve more.

[@luxhyashah8190]

Last year, I almost joined the Brian fields research group after listening to his presentation on this topic. He talked about how they had to look through sediment samples to find traces of Fe-60. I thought it was so cool that we could learn so much about the history of our cosmic neighbourhood just by observing earth. It's amazing to see this topic explained so well.

[@Mike98006]

It doesn't happen "just by observing earth". It's actually a lot of different scientific disciplines coming together to understand what we're looking at. This is even more impressive than you make it sound.

[@kimpeater1]

Where there's a will, there is a way! - Humanity

[@NoNameAtAll2]

why almost?

[@Call_Upon_YAH]

Jesus Christ is the propitiation for the whole world's sins. They that believeth and are baptized (with the Holy Spirit) shall be saved; but they that believeth not shall be damned. Those led by the Holy Spirit do not abide in wickedness. *God is ONE manifesting himself as THREE;* the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Bless him! *For these three are one.* As I am led by the Holy Spirit, nothing I state is a lie, but the truth of God. Anyone who tells you differently is misinformed or a liar. They do not know God, nor led by him. Anyone who *claims* to be a Christian and is against what I am doing, and where I am doing it; the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them, they lack understanding. They know not God, read his word, and their religion is in vain. Do not hear them, they will mislead you, the lost cannot guide the lost.

[@Call_Upon_YAH]

When you trust in God and cast your cares (worries, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts) upon him, they will be NO MORE! Know that there is power in the name Jesus Christ! His name casts out demons and heals! The world is wicked, evil, and of the devil. I too, was a wicked sinner of the world before I opened my heart to God. I am living proof of God's work and fruitfulness! He is an active God who hears the prayers of his! God's children are set apart (holy) and righteous. The devil is a liar that comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy; that includes your relationship with God! Open your heart to God, repent of your sins (he will forgive you), and let him direct your path. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands and purify your heart, lest you walk with the devil and follow him to hell.

[@harambe9461]

Brilliantly written, brilliantly produced. You are the perfect educator.

[@robertgoss4842]

Veritasium does it again. Thank you for this clear-headed explanation of complex celestial events.

[@ratsalad1]

Ah yes, cosmic horrors beyond our comprehension. Thanks man

[@Mardikuz]

lovecraft?

[@johnpetrakis379]

You absolutely missed his point at the end as probably most of the thumbs up to your reply. If it hadn't been fro a cosmic dice roll a long long time ago WE wouldn't be here!!!!!!!

[@rao803]

@@johnpetrakis379 I didn't

[@michaeldelisieux]

What happens? NOTHING! Just change the bulb.

[@Space_Debris]

I sometimes run the video at a less compressed speed for just those slower neuron fires a chance to catch up.

[@lessmore444]

The fact that we as stardust have evolved to figure this stuff out is completely mind boggling

[@ChinnuWoW]

It’s no wonder that it had to have happened somewhere within an infinite universe with countless outcomes.

[@lessmore444]

@@ChinnuWoW makes it no less amazing

[@clownavenger0]

prob happened a few times in other galaxies and possibly our own we just don't know of yet..

[@lessmore444]

@@clownavenger0 yet…far more likely than not. Even multiple times, given the infinitude, still makes it outrageously rare & wondrous.

[@clownavenger0]

@@lessmore444 yeah it's fairly rare if you mean how many square light-years and the amount of time it takes for a single occurrence.

[@ruyasatpathy1237]

sir, i have always been so confused by stars. yours was the best explanation till date, thank you

[@undeadarmy19]

It took me a moment to fully understand just how much of a difference the density changed when going from an iron core with a diameter of 3000km down to a neutron star with a diameter of 30km. At first I thought "hmm, 100x smaller is quite a bit smaller, but doesn't seem like enough for how insanely dense a neutron star is". Then I remembered that volume is affected by a square compared to the diameter. So, even though the core "only" goes from 3000km to 30km, the volume is about 1,000,000x smaller. Thats some DENSE matter. Especially when you consider the fact that iron is already relatively dense, that's absolutely insane.

[@nuntana2]

Most are typically around 10km diameter when fully neutron stars, but imagine how dense and rugged the core of the star was that it can withstand the rest of the star rebounding off itself at 25-30% the speed of light!! Well it doesn't actually, because it all flattens down further becoming a neutron star.

[@davefoord1259]

volume of a sphere is a cube relationship to the radius

[@JensRiggelsen]

Small addendum regarding the name Supernova that you mention (1:20): Kepler's teacher and mentor, Tycho Brahe, was the first to publish a book concerning a new star (stella nova), namely SN1572 or "Tycho's Supernova", which appeared 32 years earlier (TWO visible supernovae in a lifetime and NONE since!) Brahe's book was "De nova et nullius aevi memoria prius visa stella", ("Concerning the Star, new and never before seen in the life or memory of anyone").

[@NatarajSubramanian]

Underrated comment.

[@himanshuop8]

You speak like veritasium indeed.

[@mytube001]

SN1987A was visible to the naked eye.

[@JensRiggelsen]

@@mytube001 It was indeed visible, but it wasn't in our galaxy, but in one of our closest neighbors, the Large Magellanic Cloud.

[@mytube001]

@@JensRiggelsen Yes, but you only wrote "two visible supernovae in a lifetime and none since", which isn't correct. No mention of them having to be in our galaxy.

[@LeoStaley]

I watch an obscene amount of science youtube, and love supernova videos. I learned a ton from this video. You have done something wonderful here Derek.

[@JamesLee-tp4db]

Lni iu I’m

[@Call_Upon_YAH]

Jesus Christ is the propitiation for the whole world's sins. They that believeth and are baptized (with the Holy Spirit) shall be saved; but they that believeth not shall be damned. Those led by the Holy Spirit do not abide in wickedness. *God is ONE manifesting himself as THREE;* the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Bless him! *For these three are one.* As I am led by the Holy Spirit, nothing I state is a lie, but the truth of God. Anyone who tells you differently is misinformed or a liar. They do not know God, nor led by him. Anyone who *claims* to be a Christian and is against what I am doing, and where I am doing it; the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them, they lack understanding. They know not God, read his word, and their religion is in vain. Do not hear them, they will mislead you, the lost cannot guide the lost.

[@Call_Upon_YAH]

When you trust in God and cast your cares (worries, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts) upon him, they will be NO MORE! Know that there is power in the name Jesus Christ! His name casts out demons and heals! The world is wicked, evil, and of the devil. I too, was a wicked sinner of the world before I opened my heart to God. I am living proof of God's work and fruitfulness! He is an active God who hears the prayers of his! God's children are set apart (holy) and righteous. The devil is a liar that comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy; that includes your relationship with God! Open your heart to God, repent of your sins (he will forgive you), and let him direct your path. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands and purify your heart, lest you walk with the devil and follow him to hell.

[@hussassain2745]

Agreed, what are some of your favorite science channels?

[@pufferfish1074]

It is so cool tbh i know that humans were not really meant to find out these things or even comprehend them. We were meant to be oogaboogaa at best.

[@ighfee]

Great work as always. My nieces and nephews are always asking me space questions and ill answer but also show them these cool animations which really gets the point across.

[@IvanWins1]

It's crazy that not so much time ago, I used to buy dvds or even blue rays with documentaries about this topics. The fact that nowadays it's free on KZbin it's amazing, and with the same quality (even more maybe) I'm very thankful with this kind of creators, the are the real MVP

[@carlo3486]

I would love to see their storyboard when they were planning to produce this video! The storytelling is superb and the simplification (without compromising) of a complicated topic is impeccable.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Yeah, this took a lot of creativity. It's one thing to make a video about supernovae, but this goes beyond just explaining a scientific concept, and it tells a story I haven't seen before.

[@DARTHNEWS]

The title should've been different. It's clickbait for a bunch of overstuffed information.

[@BernhardHimmer]

Clarification: There are stars that go supernova AND form black holes as well. The formation of a black hole doesn't mean that there is no supernova, which is clarified quite late in the video and might lead to quite some misunderstanding in the first place. Still this is another perfect video!

[@jackharper24]

thank you for clarifying what the video clarifies itself

[@Q_QQ_Q]

yes

[@rahulbanerjee8867]

So when do blackholes form and when do supernovae?

[@jonoestreicher3393]

@@rahulbanerjee8867 when the mass of expansion is high enough to force the mass density apart, its explosive expansion stops and all that mass recondenses. If their isnt enough mass to form a black hole, it forms a neutron star instead.

[@johnb6723]

A stellar type black hole will always be preceded by a supernova, and the more massive the star, the bigger it will be.

[@Threedog1963]

I have seen other you-tube videos trying to explain supernovas. Mostly they say something like, once the elements fuse into iron, all fusion stops and the star starts collapsing in on itself at .2 the speed of light. This video explained it a bit more in-depth and really increased my understanding as to why iron is what starts the collapse. Thank you.

[@DanielCooper1]

I never understood supernovae before - I'm sure I still don't - but now I have a better grasp, and I appreciate that you did this. Thanks!

[@yashyash5549]

4:49 Chandrashekhar's limit 🇮🇳🔥

[@belugamerde3701]

It was only named after s chandrashekhar, the limit was discovered by Wilhelm Anderson

[@dellangloise9549]

@@belugamerde3701 Indians are like that, they claim everything. Even chandrashekhar himself is an American.

[@mr.unknown1070]

​@@belugamerde3701still you can't deny the fact that the concept was named in the honour of Chandrashekhar sir 🙂

[@austerity476]

​@@mr.unknown1070 lots of people think Chandrashekhar discovered it. Lot of Indians think that.

[@yoda0017]

The fact that a supernova thousands of light years away can cause a measurable change in our atmosphere is absolutely mindblowing to me. The fact that a gamma burst 2.5 BILLION light years away caused a noticeable effect is similarly mind-melting. Astronomy stuff really can be incredible. Thanks for putting together a great video on this!

[@lewisperez6469]

It's a U- Bomb ...

[@electricpaisy6045]

But the GbR got me thinking. Wouldn't it only effect us if one of the two beams is targeted directly at us? Seems like that lowers the chance of a hit even with an explosion within range dramatically to me. I didn't full get from the video if we have to be in the beam or not, but if so, it seems much less impressive to me than the supernova to me. You focus all the energy into two directions, of course it has a much higher range. Its like comparing a rifle to a grenade to me, but I could have understood it wrong.

[@mrb2349]

@@electricpaisy6045 you are right, a GRB is a very narrow stream of particles, like a rifle, as you very cleverly put it. A stray bullet coming at us in this vast space is very unlikely, but GRBs are much more frequent than supernovae and are deadlier from further away.

[@joseph_pokemon]

yeah exactly I thought we could safely watch the big cosmic fireworks from like a few lightyears away xd but this really changed my perspective on how big these "fireworks" actually are!

[@kwimms]

Wow... amazing. Let's think about some other nonsense, make-up crap... How about Santa Clause? Heard about him? He will blow your mind! He travels at the speed of light!

[@garystrankman3841]

First time I've seen this channel, love the way you explain all these concepts. You make it easy for the laymen to understand, WELL DONE SIR!!

[@jalenwiggins5831]

I have done countless studies on supernovae and the way you explained the brightness really blew my mind

[@HomemadeEcosystems]

Today the 8 billionth person was born. Can you make a video on what if we reach 20 (or 30,40,50,...) billion people on earth?

[@gaminawulfsdottir3253]

Veritasium is consistently better-written, better-edited, and better-explained than any other KZbin channel I've found yet. I wish more science-oriented channels had standards as high as Veritasium.

[@Blahblahblehblhah]

You’re a loser

[@aldionsylkaj9654]

They can't so they accept mediocrity.

[@soundscape26]

Yeah, but Derek has more than 10 million subscribers and a team working with him... not all channels can afford that.

[@starnutron6147]

because Derek is interested in cinematography too thats why his videos are different from others

[@daf666]

Kurzgesagt is also an amazing channel.

[@HDestroyer787]

I can't believe I can know all this information for free. Amazing job!

[@micksmicester4488]

This Infovid is top notch ....🔥🔥🔥! Keep up the good work admin.

[@Stephen-ie7uq]

I always appreciate the value of your productions. The bit where you showed how a star fuses the different elements as time goes on and for how long blew my mind.

[@prtygrl5077]

No need of a video of that, without watching the video, I can confirm, "we all are f!kukced" if an star e!xplodes 😂💩+++.+

[@ballaurina8367]

same

[@kwimms]

A small piece of dust would probably blow your mind... How about AC Clark... he's a great scientist too!

[@kmcgregoyt]

It blew my mind, too, although I had first seen this information a few years ago at an open-house presentation of the Astronomy Department at the University of Manitoba. I don't remember all of the time periods though. Does anyone have a reference for each element, all the way to iron? I was disappointed this video didn't give all of the times. I think in the end it was minutes, or seconds!

[@Threedog1963]

@@kwimms Why the insult?

[@sreville]

That whole explanation of the process of a star exploding was super interesting (along with the rest of the video, of course 😁) thank you for this!

[@TraapperA]

Kepler didn’t discover the supernova, his mentor actually did. Then he died and Kepler took credit for it.

[@petterkallstrom735]

"The blood of life shines red from the death of former stars" (A poem by Bertil Gelland, freely translated to English. It assumes that those novas are the only source of iron, and that iron is what makes hemoglobin red)

[@maxikrbr]

Hello, hope you are well. I'm very interested in this poem, but i can't seem to find it complete, could you be kind enough to share it? or share a place where i could read more about Bertil Gelland? There are many results by searching the name and i'm unsure to which one you refer.

[@deusexaethera]

It is a correct assumption. There is no other plausible mechanism for generating large quantities of iron-53.

[@petterkallstrom735]

Another of the two-liners: "A human life is short, but it has been prepared in 14 billion years"

[@GlitchedBlox]

Iron Lung

[@adithyavraajkumar5923]

Arthropods (which don't have red blood): are we a joke to you?

[@OINMAS]

The Crab Nebula story was amazing. It's so easy to look up think of the night sky as static, but the entire universe is all moving faster than I can even comprehend.

[@anindyadawn845]

Exactly. And this shows how bad we are at imagining the scale of the universe. The universe is so large that even objects moving close to the speed of light feels like they are at rest! Just mind boggling!

[@Jezee213]

Yep, it's always moving but it seems static at times because of the massive time scales. It's amazing to think that when we see the Crab Nebula, we see it as it was 1,000's of years ago due to the SOL !

[@shelbyindianajones3226]

thanks I studied this years ago reading books and your refresher here in less than 20 minutes is great

[@ValkyrieofNOLA]

I thoroughly enjoy the content of this channel! The subject matter is very complex, but it is explained in a consumable way to anyone with a good sense of basic scientific principles. I am a bit of a space nerd, and I can’t always find any truly interesting videos on astronomy and astrophysics that are informative and entertaining without being ass numbingly dull…

[@ItsNifer]

Love how Veritasium took this topic and really went in depth with different scenarios. Unlike other clickbait "Scientific" youtube channels out there

[@nag0074]

Which channel are you talking about

[@HottieTobby]

I've never seen a video this in depth yet clear about how all this works and how our history is with these things. This is the most interesting and fun video I've seen from you yet

[@animeshjain8932]

How does neon fuse into oxygen (at 3:54) Neon(Atomic no 10) is heavier than oxygen (Atomic no 8)

[@Goldfish1060]

Watch a video called "When Stars outshine Galaxies" by a channel called "But Why?". This video is good, but the gold standard of any supernova video is still But Why?'s video. Goes into even more detail but somehow is still not overwhelming.

[@kaanggeng]

A tip for stars: If you started to have carbon inside you, it basically means you got cancer and have 1 year to live.

[@animalbird9436]

Extremely good and knowledgeable content as always. Well done u ❤❤❤

[@MrNicePotato]

Given the vastness of spacetime in our universe, it is so amazing to have such a violent type of event that occurs in a short enough time scale comparable to a human lifetime, yet frequent enough that we actually observe a number of them within our short history.

[@zakarikante9674]

0:27 still one billion less bright than setting discord on light mode at 1am though

[@windowsxpmemesandstufflol]

Plot Twist: Sun went discord light mode

[@cubeometry2699]

😂

[@spiralviper8158]

A video that explains the question in the title within the first 40 seconds of the video. KZbin needs more of this.

[@ra8937]

This man is brilliant! Love your videos.

[@davidsmithsmith5679]

It feels chilling to think about that actually being the end times for which ever species lived within the system.

[@words007]

Somebody please tell Veritasium to make in depth video about TON-618

[@dennissylvester110]

And in any nearby system as well.

[@foc2241]

Hmm I don't worry at all, because (if we survive this long) then it is no longer my problem in a few decades xD

[@AsinineComment]

"...lived within the system." _What species_ , living in _which_ system??

[@alexolas1246]

@@AsinineComment I assume whatever sapient species lived in orbit of the star that went supernova On a related note: Has anyone here played or heard of the game Outer Wilds?

[@NareshMallya]

I've seen countless videos and understood partially, but this is the first time I actually understand how and why of a supernova. The amount of simplicity it went to explain this, my salute to Derek for making space and science fun and simpler.

[@prototropo]

I love the in increasing eloquence of narration on this channel--and the extravagantly gorgeous graphics, such as at 08:50, or 13:40, which are brain-beguiling!

[@keennickolas8575]

Thx, that was really well explained :)

[@sebastianjost]

I never heard about the connection between supernovae and neutrinos, but always found both fascinating.

[@PtylerBeats]

I had never heard of neutrinos

[@TheBlissfulVoid]

@@PtylerBeats That's okay, first time for everyone with confusing space stuff 😵

[@Norweeg]

I really like the artwork and new-ish animation style you’ve added to the channel.

[@hiranakhan8522]

@dont read my profile picture. Why?

[@F-35BLightningII]

Bro taught me more than my entire school in 19 Minutes.

[@Rane7685]

Absolutely a credit to humanity that we were able to work all this out. Like seriously understanding (from Earth) the internal workings of stars is pretty amazing (assuming we are right)

[@user-uo3mm5dg5o]

Thanks for the update about the Gamma Burst Ray observed on 9 October on Earth. I learned most of the astrophysics a long time ago and certainly like the comprehensive video display of it, but the consequences for what the effects were on Earth and on it's life that are discovered since are fascinating. It is amazing how much information you have compressed in a single 20 minute video and still be clear about the many subjects. I also like that you show the scientific abstracts. Exceptionally well done!

[@frankieinjapan]

It's crazy to think something so astronomically far away can literally burn our skin on earth during hot days.

[@NikhilSinghRajpoot]

Ok Frankie.

[@wj2l]

Explained well. Thank you.

[@TCFYTB]

First channel I ever see to take neutrino into account when talking about supernova, very impressive

[@45coopaloop]

Great video! I did a degree in physics and astronomy and can say this was a great, easy to understand review of some of our favourite cosmological objects and I really enjoyed you linking some of the supernova events in the past with extinction events on earth :) I didn't know about some of those connections, thanks as always for sharing!

[@fatguyalwayseats]

What do you think about micro nova or a shell release?

[@vaibhavk2400]

That’s great! Published any papers?

[@rae0521]

"... easy to understand review..." - Well, Jordan, your brain and mine must be made of material so astronomically different as to defy description.

[@Totto87]

Love your videos man. I'm a regular joe with no notable math or science skills whatsoever but for some reason your explanations makes sense to me. You should get a Nobel prize for educating the masses in all sorts of subjects. Thank you for the various topics over the years and I hope it will be so many more lessons to listen to in the future. Space is damn scary and amazing at the same time!

[@MrNicePotato]

Agreed. A Veritasium video with hundreds of thousands of views may have taught/inspired more minds than any regular teacher in a lifetime.

[@gireeshgprasad7589]

I love this channel, but a Nobel Prize is a bit much..

[@tonywu6674]

@@MrNicePotato my love for stem literally stemmed from this channel

[@lukemelaia2461]

Very well said.

[@madhououinkyoma]

@Ironside Amen! Completely relevant /s

[@TehWit]

Another proof that what we take for granted and generally think has always been the norm on Earth is mostly due to insanely vast amounts of luck, has changed and will definitely change again greatly! Great video, thanks!

[@student8030]

I feel like it's not luck. It's like if enough time is given, all the things that can happen will happen. A lot of such events must've occured and the sustainability of life on this planet was one of the outcomes which ended up becoming true and here we are. The same reason why existence of alien looks totally possible.

[@TehWit]

@@student8030 hard to disagree but.. i don't think everything can happen nor will. On a smaller scale i could have just avoided replying to you. No big deal. On greater scale, a star fart could happen which may diverge slightly the course of a big rock on its way to hit Earth in 1000 years. Who knows though. Fascinating

[@WSpace7]

0:57 this it the best music I’ve ever heard in a background of an educational KZbin video, and I really don’t know why.

[@noaadude]

This is one of the best physics videos I've seen on KZbin. It is amazing how thoroughly you showed that theorized physics concepts have real physical effects on the Earth that we can measure and see. It's wild how neutrinos seem so intangible but yet are so impactful in supernovae and can even alert us to their presence before they become visible!

[@roberthousedorfii1743]

this is one of the best vids you have ever made. Very technical, yet easy to understand by even most of my classmates who never even HEARD of a super-nova. I'll be pushing this one on friends and family.

[@SuperpowerBroadcasting]

This was very informative

[@davinci69]

I find it somehow humorous that literally everything in the universe is just trying to kill us, metaphorically speaking.

[@quantumblur_3145]

We cling to a liferaft of order and structure amidst a hurricane

[@stevenroper3577]

Thanks for bringing this subject down to earth - very well explained

[@rapidreaders7741]

You sir, win best pun of the week!

[@mikeoxmall69420]

I don't want any of those cosmic pipe bombs anywhere NEAR Earth

[@manthanbapat]

@@mikeoxmall69420 good sir, u need to define near, because as mentioned even a star going hypernova 150 MILLION light years away, caused mass extinction on earth

[@ssalmon]

@@rapidreaders7741 white

[@runw1thscissorsYT]

Down to earth huh

[@ViralVariety2023]

Man! This one solved all my curiosities about supernovae.Straight to the point and I can clearly understand what you want to explain in this content.Thanks mate!

[@TheVikrant997]

Extremely informative

[@timw483]

Very interesting video, well done! One question: when you picked up the neutrino bursts and then called scientists to watch for a supernovae, did you ever wonder if it might be the prelude to a Gamma Ray Burst? Since both move at the speed of light, the neutrino flash might be our only warning (not that we can do much about it). Just wondering if that ever crossed your mind.

[@annakinderman8135]

I have always admired your ability to elegantly describe the beauty of the universe. Amazing. You are one of the reasons I'm pursuing a degree in physics.

[@tacobanana_forever]

Good luck! It's difficult but rewarding. I did bachelors and masters in physics, and loved it. It's also buys you a TON of options professionally, and can get you some very high paying jobs.

[@robertjusic9097]

@@tacobanana_forever what kind of jobs?

[@tacobanana_forever]

A pretty broad range @Robert Jušić . As a physicist, in college you'll likely work with: 1 - Coding, like python, Labview, Python or Statistica 2 - TONS of math, you pretty much get a bachelors with a very similar skill set to a mathematician 3 - Equipment training, if you work in research 4 - Technical communication skills: From presentations and paper writing so after graduation, if you learn to communicate your skill set, you can be an analysist (in lots of industries), data eng, software eng, professor, researcher, or most types of engineering roles. My background is in applied physics, but I've worked my entire career as a process eng in manufacturing. The big part is learning how to communicate that the skills you have are useful. Communicating how learning advanced mathematics can help in a real world situation

[@robertjusic9097]

@@tacobanana_forever curently on my 2nd year of mechanichael enginering and constantly anxious that im not gonna find a job that im truly happy or usefull at. How did you menage to comunicate that your skills are usefull?

[@tacobanana_forever]

@@robertjusic9097 I mean, if you go into a job interview, can you articulate how you can use your math and analytical skills to help a business operate? Can you situate how you can help with your knowledge. Also, congrats, everyone gets nervous, but if you are going to mechanical engineering, you should have options!

[@tetrabot7713]

I love it when Veritasium uploads a video about space. I can watch these videos an entire day without getting bored. Great work Veritasium!

[@tetrabot7713]

@fck peace Lines in space photos is because of the telescope's mirror. The light reflects within the structure of mirror or telescope causing these lines to appear. Well the image on right is edited. So these lines are added artificially.

[@cynthiamontgomery1192]

@fck peace It's the struts in the telescope.

[@WeirdSmellyMan]

This is the first time I've seen an in depth explanation of what causes a star to go supernova. I've realized I know nothing.

[@person8064]

The channel But Why? has an even more detailed explanation. I recommend it.

[@WanderTheNomad]

@@person8064 ohh, I thought this topic seemed familiar. I just couldn't remember which youtube channel I've seen it from

[@jackpleb2360]

But he is wrong. Lol.

[@jasonbecker4974]

Thank you for all your knowledge, and teaching. You are a gift to humankind.

[@moiraatkinson]

Really interesting - great video. I love the way you illustrate the massive light from a star explosion being seen by human eyes and make the pupils expand though. This is the direct opposite of what happens - pupils constrict in light and dilate in the dark to capture as much light as possible.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Derek, this video was simply MONUMENTAL. :) Well done!! Seriously, wow. I've watched your channel for *YEARS*, and I personally believe that this is one of your most profound and awesomely constructed videos yet. I have no idea how you do it. Kudos, and... I certainly wish I could comprehend as much as I've ENJOYED over the years! Almost a decade now, I think, TBH... 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@seanehle8323]

Excellent video! The visuals were amazing. My favorite of yours in a bit, and I love all your videos.

[@stephencummins7589]

Absolutely fabulous,thank you.

[@momv2pa]

Very well explained. Enjoyed watch8 g and listening to this!

[@love-to-learn]

You do such a fantastic job of going in-depth, explaining well and keeping it simple and fun! Loved it, thank you!

[@animeshjain8932]

How does neon fuse into oxygen (at 3:54) Neon(Atomic no 10) is heavier than oxygen (Atomic no 8)

[@HARRi81_UK]

I've watched various videos here on KZbin on this topic but I must say this one is probably the best, due to its clear explanation, good graphics and pleasant narration.

[@SupraSav]

I didn't even realize 20 minutes went by. Thanks for another solid video

[@acidoironico]

I thank you very much for sharing this content. I'm Brazilian and I'm learning a lot with you. My English was terrible, but now, I can understand all you said.❤❤❤

[@sumukh3]

Facinating video as always, Derek. Could you please make a video in the future explaining the creation of heavier elements (r- process, s- process and p- process)? It blows my mind to think of the extreme conditions required to create them. Makes me appreciate them that much more. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@eltwarg6388]

I would vote for this as well. I am hearing all the time we are made from stars and all the heavy elements were made there before. But when? How about elements not on the fussion "paths"? I see how H, He, Ne, C, Si, Fe... are produced. How about all the other elements? Why there are high amounts of matter made of elements "behind" Fe, if the system needs an extra energy to build them? And why are they all locked in the planets? Are they? And why different planets of the same system have different distribution of the heavy elements (I mean any other than H or He)? It would be nice to learn this topic through a similar video :)

[@bastronom4496]

Exactly this topic was my bachelor thesis in geology. Super fascinating stuff, tons of implicatons in both directions if we were able to detect them. From dynamics of our galaxy to the history of earth and life.

[@Valkyrie612]

I always learn something new on this channel.

[@EnoYaka]

thanks for the existential crisis. need more videos about search for immortality or how to cope with a short and scary life.

[@floopyFX]

These videos are great! animations, music, and Derek the narrator, all top-notch quality! thanks for this Derek and the team! I think you have the best quality educational videos on earth!

[@muraliavarma]

Excellent video. I thought I knew a good deal about supernovae but turns out I did not know anything at all. Thanks for educating all of us!

[@stig3914]

you say "a million times brighter", but in reality, our eyes have melted long ago.

[@dvrsflrs]

interesting. i would love to know more about how they make up this teories, and how they come up with these number. thanks!

[@barnilsaikia4531]

9:17 wat da dog doin

[@glittering_insect1059]

Lol

[@dlilchamp]

Thank you Veritasium, almost every video you create manages to renew my love of science. Week after week, month after month.

[@user-lx3xc6ti3p]

Thanks for bringing this subject down to earth - very well explained. Ah yes, cosmic horrors beyond our comprehension. Thanks man.

[@Wyvernnnn]

I saw this video 6 months ago and I still think about it You've never done that before It's your best one