B type stars tagged posts

Mixing Massive Stars

A diagram of the internal mixing of a massive star
A simulation of a 3-solar-mass star shows the central, convective core and the waves it generates in the rest of the star’s interior.
Photo Credit:  PHILIPP EDELMANN

New research reveals hidden processes at work in the hearts of large stars. Astronomers commonly refer to massive stars as the chemical factories of the Universe. They generally end their lives in spectacular supernovae, events that forge many of the elements on the periodic table. How elemental nuclei mix within these enormous stars has a major impact on our understanding of their evolution prior to their explosion. It also represents the largest uncertainty for scientists studying their structure and evolution.

A team of astronomers led by May Gade Pedersen, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institut...

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