When massive stars reach the end of their life, their fate is to go out in a blaze of glory: a huge stellar explosion known as a supernova.
But how do astronomers study these chaotic, transient events? And what can we learn about the Universe by doing so?
The answer, it turns out, is a great deal. Supernovae can reveal much about the past, present and future of the cosmos.
In this episode of the Radio Astronomy podcast, astronomer Or Graur discusses his latest book Supernova, published by MIT Press, and reveals what we can learn by studying these incredible events.
Listen to more episodes of the Radio Astronomy podcast.