Can a New Planet Form After a Star Goes Supernova?

The question of whether a new planet can form after a star goes supernova has long fascinated scientists and researchers. While the process of a star going supernova involves the loss of a vast amount of its mass, the conditions after such an event do offer potential for new stars and, indirectly, new planets to emerge.

The Star's Mass Loss

A star with sufficient mass undergoing a supernova explosion will lose a significant fraction of its material. Part of the mass is lost during the wind phase, where a steady flow of matter is expelled into space. However, a much larger portion is lost in the supernova event itself.

Initial Mass (Solar Masses) Mass Lost Before Supernova (Solar Masses) Mass Lost During Supernova (Solar Masses) Remnant Mass (Solar Masses) 20 5 12 3

In the example above, a star initially with 20 solar masses might lose 5 solar masses in the wind phase, and another 12 solar masses in the actual supernova. This leaves a remnant of 3 solar masses, which could be a neutron star or a black hole. During this process, the material is ejected into space and becomes a supernova remnant, often seen as a cloud of gas and dust.

Material Recirculation and New Stars

However, while the original star does not directly reincarnate as a planet, the material lost in the supernova is not lost forever. This material eventually circulates back into the interstellar medium, cools down, and condenses into new clouds of gas and dust. These clouds can give rise to new star formation, which in turn might give rise to new planets.

Figure: Initial mass on the x-axis, final mass on the y-axis. Colored portions represent mass lost through wind and explosion. Gray portion represents remnant mass. This figure is not relevant to Type Ia supernovae.

The image above depicts the mass loss process of a star that initially has 20 solar masses. The colored sections represent mass lost through both wind and the supernova blast, while the gray section is the remnant mass, which could either be a neutron star or a black hole, depending on the initial mass of the star.

Direct Planet Formation After a Supernova

Directly forming a planet from the debris left after a supernova is highly improbable. The intense heat and radiation from the supernova explosion can completely disperse the remaining material, leaving little chance for a planetary system to form. Planets typically form from a protoplanetary disk, a disk of gas and dust that surrounds a young star.

After a supernova, the material that is expelled forms a remnant. Over time, this material coalesces and could potentially form new stars. These new stars might have their own protoplanetary disks from which planets can form. However, the likelihood of forming a planet from the immediate aftermath of a supernova is minimal.

Conclusion

In summary, while a new planet may form indirectly from the material ejected during a supernova, the direct process of planet formation from supernova debris is highly improbable. The conditions required for planet formation are more conducive to the protoplanetary disk stage rather than the supernova aftermath.

As for the remnants of the star, they will be either a neutron star or, in the case of massive stars, a black hole. Both of these remnants do not have the necessary conditions to form new planets in their current state.