When stars reach the end of life, there are a few ways they can end up. A star with a mass like our sun can grow into a red giant, losing its outer layers and eventually leaving a hot, dense core, or white dwarf star. In extreme mass stars, they can explode in a spectacular supernova, leaving a core massive enough to capture light, or a blackhole. The stars that fall between these also explode as supernovae, but instead leave neutron stars. In rare cases, these neutron stars form as pulsars.
Join us this week as Mike discusses two undead stars this Halloween.
Astro Brief is a collaboration between KSMU, the Missouri Space Grant, and MSU's Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science. Hosted by Dr. Mike Reed, Astro Brief focuses on astronomical events, the field of astronomy, and astronomy-related guests. It airs Thursdays at 9:45 am on KSMU.