Summary
In this podcast episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and his co-host Matt Kirsch discuss star quakes with guest Connie Arts, a professor of astrophysics and astro seismology. Star quakes are used to learn what's inside a star, and they are always happening because stars are hot gaseous spheres that move up and down, creating sound waves that can be detected by seismographs. The frequency of these sound waves is connected to the physics and chemical composition of the star's interior. Connie Arts and her team shift the global symphony of each star into the audible range of humans, allowing blind people to hear the stars.
The hosts and guest speaker explain that by measuring the frequencies of quakes, scientists can determine the size, density, and mass of an object. While measuring quakes on the sun is done by observing brightness variations, measuring quakes on other planets and stars requires sending instruments to measure tiny variations in gas. The guest speaker explains that the energy of each wave can be quite tremendous, but it depends on the type of waves being measured.
The conversation then shifts to Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, which recently got mysteriously dim. The guest explains that this behavior is normal for supergiants nearing the end of their life, as they puff up and blow away material. This can obscure the view for astro seismologists, but the oscillations can still provide valuable information.
The hosts and guest also discuss the field of asteroid seismology and the use of telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Plato Mission to study star quakes. The guest explains that long-term measurements are necessary for accurate analysis of star quakes, and that telescopes such as Kepler and Tess are better suited for this type of research than the James Webb Space Telescope.
Finally, the conversation touches on the role of sunspots, coronal mass ejections, and the potential dangers they pose to Earth. The guest explains that the Earth's magnetic field protects us from these events, and that star quakes are not dangerous to us. The episode ends with a discussion on the predictability and energy of star quakes, and the variability of stars in the night sky.
