Supernovae Type Ia: an Observational Perspective

摘要

A review is presented of various observational features of the family of Type Ia (thermonuclear) supernovae. There are properties common to all SN Ia and there are differences within the Type Ia classification. One seeks to understand all of these properties within a physical framework providing a way of discriminating among the various types of models that have emerged over the past couple of decades.