Supernovae are divided into classes based upon their spectra: hydrogen lines are prominent in Type II supernovae:

Hydrogen lines are absent in Type I supernovae:

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This fact tells us that the progenitor stars either had hydrogen in their outer envelopes or did not have hydrogen in their outer envelopes. Type II supernovae are associated with massive stars while Type I supernovae may be associated with white dwarf binary star systems.

Information provided by: http://zebu.uoregon.edu