An extremely energetic type of supernova explosion, typically 10-100 times more powerful than ordinary supernovae, often associated with the formation of black holes and gamma-ray bursts. These occur when very massive stars (over 40 solar masses) collapse.
From Greek 'hyper' meaning 'over' or 'beyond' and Latin 'nova' meaning 'new star'. The term was introduced in the 1990s to distinguish these exceptionally powerful explosions from regular supernovae.
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