Could our Sun ever undergo a nova or white dwarf supernova event? Why or why not?
1 Answer
Apr 17, 2016
No, our sun can't go nova or supernova.
Explanation:
Our sun is too small to go nova or supernova. It will ultimately enter a red giant stage and then collapse as a white dwarf. It would need to be at least eight times more massive to nova.
For the sun to be involved in a white dwarf supernova explosion it would need to have a close binary companion which it doesn't have. A white dwarf needs a close red giant companion from which it can acquire sufficient material to collapse and to explode as a supernova.
