This summer, scientists have their eyes and telescopes trained on the small constellation system T Coronae Borealis. They think it will explode as part of a periodic nova — a once-in-a-lifetime event according to NASA scientists. And so, with the help of astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance, we continue our journey farther and deeper into spacetime with a look at the stars: How they're born and how they die. Sarafina has always been drawn to one particular star: Betelgeuse,
a red supergiant in the shoulder of the constellation Orion that is nearing the end of its life. What stages of life did Betelgeuse — or
any star — go through before it reached this moment?
This episode is part of our series Space Camp — all abut the weird, wonderful phenomena in our universe. Check it out here:
https://npr.org/spacecampCurious about the night sky? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices:
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