USA proven to distress star having a meltdown (9)
I believe the answer is:
supernova
'star having a meltdown' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'usa proven to distress' is the wordplay.
'to distress' is an anagram indicator.
'usa'+'proven'='usaproven'
'usaproven' anagrammed gives 'SUPERNOVA'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for supernova that I've seen before include "Star made brilliant by stellar explosion" , "Star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous" , "Star in decline" , "Exploding star that becomes much brighter" , "cosmic explosion" .)