Type Ia Supernova progenitors

Type Ia supernovae occur when a white dwarf star in a binary system gains material from its companion star. As it accumulates mass, the white dwarf approaches a critical limit called the Chandrasekhar limit (~1.4 times the Sun's mass), causing a runaway thermonuclear explosion. This explosion completely destroys the star, releasing a bright burst of light visible across vast distances. These supernovae are important for measuring cosmic distances because of their consistent brightness, helping astronomers understand the universe's expansion. They typically originate from older stellar populations and are key to studying cosmic evolution.