Radio Stars: Evolving Shapes of Giants

The
			     Evolving Shapes of Giants
Even with the most powerful optical telescopes, the closest stars beyond the Sun generally appear as mere pinpoints of light, leaving us to only imagine what their light-emitting surfaces or "photospheres" might look like. However, using a technique known as radio interferometry, astronomers are now able to glimpse the faces of certain types of stars known as asymptotic giant branch stars (or "AGB stars" for short). What's more, the appearances of these AGB stars are seen to change over time.

In this podcast, hear how astronomers are using radio interferometry to gain fascinating insights into what the future has in store for stars like the Sun as they reach old age.
Financial support for Radio Stars Podcast 4 ("The Evolving Faces of Giants") was provided by an award from the National Science Foundation to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Principal Investigator: Lynn Matthews
Producer: Molly Wasser
Written by: Molly Wasser and Lynn Matthews
Additional script input: Alex Griswold
Recording: Alex Griswold
Sound editing: Molly Wasser
Narrator: Ari Epstein
Audio content: Mark Reid, Karl Menten, Lynn Matthews