May 25, 2023

Brightest supernova in a decade

27 minutes

A star in the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy has exploded spectacularly into a supernova, dubbed SN 2023ixf. It is the brightest in a decade and it has got astronomers around the world into a frenzy. Science in Action hears from both amateur and professional astronomers alike as they scramble to collect exciting new images and data.

Back on the ground, we hear from the Professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter, Tim Lenton about his new paper highlighting how rising global temperatures could push human populations from their homes.

Contributors:

Dan Milisavljevic, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University.

Dr Jane Clark, Trustee of the Cardiff Astronomical Society

Bronco Oostermeyer, amateur astronomer

Raffaella Margutti, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley

Erez Zimmerman, Astrophysics PhD student, Weizmann institute of science

Professor Avishay Gal-Yam, Head of Experimental Astrophisics Group, Weizmann institute of science

Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute and Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter

Presenter: Roland Pease

Producer: Ella Hubber

(Image: Supernova SN 2023ixf. Credit: Dr Jane Clark and The Cardiff Astronomical Society)

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