Q&A: Supernova Remnants and Neutron Stars

Q:
When will the next supernova explosion be?

A:
It's not possible to predict when the next supernova explosion will be, but you don't have to wait very long. Throughout the Universe, countless supernova explosions happen every day. In our own galaxy, there probably hasn't been a supernova explosion for hundreds of years. Astronomers have identified several large, unstable stars in our galaxy that might be the next to explode, but they can only guess when such an explosion might happen. In distant galaxies where individual stars cannot be seen, it's obviously even harder to make predictions.