Like ants nesting on a river bank, some only live a few days. A colony could live for many ant generations on a riverbank but when a big flood comes their entire world is wiped out.
Like ants nesting on a river bank, some only live a few days. A colony could live for many ant generations on a riverbank but when a big flood comes their entire world is wiped out.
A white dwarf is a remnant of a dead star. It cannot go supernova by itself.
It can, if it’s stealing matter from a companion star and it crosses a critical mass threshold (around 1.44 solar masses). Look up “type Ia supernova”
Which means it does need outside help (even passive help).