Project Universe - Supernovae and Pulsars (1 of 3)

Electron degeneracy pressure limits lower mass stars from burning carbon into oxygen and evolving further. Stars higher than 4 solar masses will go supernova when carbon is burned into oxygen and so on up the atomic numbers until no more nuclear energy is available. The star then collapses catastrophically and ignites a different type of energy process called particle reaction which suddenly release a vast amount of energy, causing the star to blow up.