From the August 2009 issue

When a star in a binary system goes supernova, what happens to its companion? Is it destroyed?

Mitch Singer, Minneapolis
By | Published: August 21, 2009 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
October 2009 supernova
The remnant of a Type Ia supernova.
NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/Calar Alto O. Krause et al

If one of the stars explodes in a supernova, its companion would likely survive the blast.