Astronomers open the way to the hearts of the blue supergiants

06/05/2019
The blue supergiants are the “rock stars” of the universe, giant stars who live fast, and die young. As befits idols of the masses, to know their most intimate secrets is the deep desire of their fans. Thanks to a recent study by researchers at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and other centres in Europe, America, and Australia, this dream is beginning to becomr a reality. Using the techniques of Asteroseismology on a set of data obtained by the NASA space missions Kepler and TESS, it has been possible to peep into the interior of high mass stars. Just as seismologists obtain information about the interior of the Earth by stuyding the waves produced by earthquakes, listening to the music created by these high mass “rock stars” will allow astrophysicists to reach into their interiors before their lives are abruptly terminated as huge supernova explosions, according to an article published today in the scientific magazine Nature Astronomy. Sergio Simón-Díaz, advanced postdoctoral researcher SO at the IAC, is a co-author of this study. >> Read more