Supernova

A supernova is a large stellar explosion that can outshine an entire galaxy.

Appearance
Supernovae in Spore appear as bright green flashes in the galaxy, sometimes with spaceships escaping the star system. There are also several nebulae shaped as supernovae in the galaxy.

They may only appear when the "Graphic Effects" option of the graphic settings is set on "High."

When they occur, they are visible while zooming out to view the whole galaxy.

Role
Supernovae in Spore are only decorations, similar to nebulae.

Occasionally a large explosion may occur near the players spaceship.

Blue Giant myth
In the GDC 2005 demo, Will Wright stated that in time supergiants (the Blue Giant stars) would eventually go supernova and transform into a Black Hole. However, it has been confirmed that they actually do not.

There is a myth that on a rare occasion in Spore, a blue giant may go supernova, it is unknown if this can happen while a player is in the solar system. Supernovae are just decorations in Spore and only serve as eye candy for the player.