A supernova is an astronomical event that occurs during the last stellar evolutionary stages of a massive star's life, whose dramatic and catastrophic destruction is marked by one final titanic explosion. For a short time, this causes the sudden appearance of a 'new' bright star, before slowly fading from sight over several weeks or months. Due to the wide range of astrophysical consequences of these events, astronomers now deem supernovae research, across the fields of stellar and galactic evolution, as an especially important area for investigation.