But the evidence was not strong enough to rule out other possible causes of death, such as the gravitational collapse of a massive star's core. (newscientist.com)
Some Explorers have had a big scientific impact, including the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which last decade mapped irregularities in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), an echo of the universe as it was 380,000 years after the big bang; and Swift, which is helping unravel the mystery of gamma - ray bursts that come from the supernova collapse of massive stars. (sciencemag.org)
Type Ic supernovae, the explosions after the core collapse of massive stars that have previously lost their hydrogen and helium envelopes, are particularly interesting because of their link with long - duration gamma ray bursts. (science.sciencemag.org)