Stellar Evolution
All stars form in nebulae, huge clouds of gas and dust.
Though they shine for thousands of years, stars do not last forever. The changes that occur in a star over time and the final stage of its life depends on a star's size.
Eventually, the hydrogen that powers a star's nuclear reactions begins to run out. The star then enters the final phases of its lifetime. All stars will expand, cool and change colour to become a red giant or red supergiant.
What happens next depends on how massive the star is.
Blackholes
In 2015, scientists first detected gravitational waves. These ripples in space-time were caused by two black holes colliding and shaking the Universe.
Tana Joseph
Occupation: Astronomer and Science Communicator
Year born: 1984
Research Areas: Extragalactic X-ray Binaries, Radio Astronomy
"Science isn’t done until it is communicated."
Samuel Okoye
Occupation: Astrophysicist
Year born: 1939
Wanda Díaz-Merced
Occupation: Astronomer
Research Areas: Sonification, Black Holes
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Occupation: Astrophysicist
Year born: 1910
Research Areas: Stellar Evolution, Black Holes
"My motive has not been to solve a single problem, but to acquire a perspective of an entire area"