Searching for the Oldest Stars (Prof. Anna Frebel)

For millions of years after the Big Bang, nearly all the matter in the universe was in the form of hydrogen and helium; other elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen only formed later, in nuclear reactions inside stars. To learn what the universe looked like back then, MIT astrophysicist Anna Frebel studies the oldest stars we can find—13 billion years old, to be precise—scanning them for traces of elements that will give a clue to their history. As Professor Frebel explains to Sarah Hansen in this episode, curiosity about the origins of the universe we live in is a profoundly human trait, just like curiosity about one’s own family history. To help communicate to laypeople the wonder and amazement that motivates astronomers like herself, Prof. Frebel has written a book and recorded a companion series of videos, both of which are intentionally designed to be as user-friendly as possible. It doesn’t matter, she says, if viewers and readers don’t grasp all the details; her hope is that they will develop the desire to understand more, and that that desire will spark further learning. Relevant Resources: MIT OpenCourseWare The OCW Educator Portal "Cosmic Origin of the Chemical Elements" on OCW Professor Frebel’s book Searching for the Oldest Stars Professor Frebel’s faculty page Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions   Connect with Us If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you!  Call us @ 617 475-0534 On our site On Facebook On Twitter On Instagram   Stay Current Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter.   Support OCWIf you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep those programs going!  

2356 232

Suggested Podcasts

S A Y A L I

Partners in Crime Media

Truth and Legend Productions

Penguin Random House

Francesca Ramirez

Brad Rowland, Locked On Podcast Network