Stars heavier than eight times the Sun's mass end their lives very suddenly. When the core runs out of hydrogen and helium, these stars desperately fuse carbon into heavier elements in an attempt to gain their energy back. By doing so, however, the star collapses because of the weight it's put upon itself. The now iron core heats up. Protons and electrons merge into neutrons. In less than a second, the core shrinks drastically and the outer layers of the star collapse, crushing what remains of the center. Finally, the star uses its last bit of remaining heat to blow itself apart in a massive supernova explosion. 

For a week or so, the supernova outshines all of the other stars in its galaxy. Intense. Dramatic. A catastrophic destruction. Then, it quickly fades. All that is left is a tiny, dense object surrounded by an expanding cloud of hot gas. Hardly a trace of the original star is left. 

And even that which is left can never return to its original form.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

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Started: September 14th, 2019

Finished: October 4th, 2020