As you lay dying, I kept my distance

'I know it's dying, but we probably shouldn't have visited.'

I've found my way back to documentaries on the universe, and today I saw an episode on supernovas. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, a supernova is the massive explosion caused by the dying of a star. Supernovas are one of the most destructive phenomenons in the universe, but they also result in the evolution of galaxies, planets and life.

Fun fact: A supernova occurs in the universe every second. The largest one recorded till now took place in 2006, and the star that died was more than a hundred times the size of the Sun! We didn't notice because it was in a galaxy about 240 million light years away. That's pretty impressive, huh? Apparently our galaxy is long overdue for a supernova, and in such a scenario, we'd be in for a good sight in the sky (unless it's the Sun that's the victim, in which case we'd wish we were on a galaxy far, far away).

The universe is fascinating, and so completely humbling. If you're interested in learning about (and getting enamored by) space around us, here's what I'm watching.