{"id":142125,"date":"2021-05-22T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-05-22T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=142125"},"modified":"2021-05-24T11:25:20","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T21:25:20","slug":"uh-nasa-space-telescope-nature-of-dying-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/22\/uh-nasa-space-telescope-nature-of-dying-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> to lead NASA<\/abbr> space telescope study on nature of dying stars"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Kepler's
Debris from a star that exploded known as Kepler\u2019s supernova remnant (Photo credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do stars die, explode and release heavy elements into the universe? These questions are the focus of an international team of scientists led by University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> Institute for Astronomy (IfA<\/abbr>) postdoctoral researcher Chris Ashall<\/strong>. The researchers were recently awarded two programs to conduct detailed observations with NASA\u2019s $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST<\/abbr>) flagship mission, set to launch in fall 2021.<\/p>\n

Exploding stars, known as supernovae, produce most of the heavy elements, such as, iron, calcium, and silicon, in the universe. These elements form the building blocks for life. Supernovae may also be major producers of cosmic dust, but the exact nature of these explosions remains a mystery.<\/p>\n

\"James
James Webb Space Telescope (Photo credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We may finally be able to understand the final stages of a star’s life, how they explode, what heavy elements they make, and how these elements are redistributed into the universe,” Ashall said. “It is truly an extremely exciting time for supernova science.”<\/p>\n

JWST<\/abbr> will have the capability to observe objects at longer wavelengths than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. Observations at these redder, mid-infrared, wavelengths can detect the signatures of elements that were not previously visible.<\/p>\n