Dr. Jack Hughes, Rutgers University - Neutrinos and Supernova Eruptions - The Cosmic Companion May 11, 2021

This week, we talk with Dr. Jack Hughes, astrophysicist at Rutgers University, telling us of new findings about supernovae, the powerful eruptions that can mark the end of life for massive stars.  

But first, we will use computer simulations to peer inside the atmosphere of Saturn. We will look in on an unusual yellow supernova, and find what made this eruption so strange. And, we will look to the future, as researchers plan a massive radio telescope on the far side of the Moon.  The magnetic field of Saturn is surprisingly symmetrical near the poles, a mystery of the ringed planet that might now be explained. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University took data collected during the suicide plunge of the Cassini spacecraft into Saturn, feeding it into computer simulations similar to those used to model weather and climate here on Earth. They found that helium rain falling through the atmosphere of Saturn could explain the oddly-regular nature of this massive magnetic field. 

Join us on June 1st, when we will talk with Professor Sabine Stanley of Johns Hopkins University about this unique study.

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