Photos: Snapshots from inside an exploding star
3D simulation of a type Ia supernova
A snapshot of a three-dimensional simulation of a Type Ia supernova.
This image was taken shortly after the nuclear flame bubble that initiated the event was ignited, slightly off-centre from the progenitor white dwarf star (shown here as a light blue surface).
Buoyancy forces drive the bubble (shown in yellow and red) rapidly to the surface of the white dwarf.