Presentation: Dark Energy, Explosions, and Zombie Stars
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Date
2012-01-13
Authors
Environmental Science Institute
Howell, Andrew
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Volume Title
Publisher
Environmental Science Institute
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Description
What do you see when you look at the night sky? If you are Dr. Howell and his team, you discover a supernova within hours of its explosion (a rare feat) and use it to help measure the history of the expansion of the universe and the dark energy causing it to accelerate. His team showed that these supernovae are from white dwarf "zombie" stars that were once dead, but came back to life by sucking matter from a companion star before exploding. Explore supernovas, dark energy, and zombie stars with Dr. Howell, and hear how learning more about these phenomena helps us understand our universe.