IN PERSON: Stars are born quietly, but many die in spectacular, violent ways. A century ago, nuclear fusion was identified as the main energy source powering the stars. Ever since, astrophysicists have studied stellar evolution intensely. New powerful telescopes, both ground- and space-based, have vastly increased our understanding of stars. While a great amount of specialized knowledge has been developed, the purpose of this course is to distill this information into essential aspects accessible to nonexperts. We will address the three main areas of stellar evolution: birth, life and death. This lecture-based course will provide students with a greater appreciation for the wonderful complexity of our star-filled universe and can lead to further study of the nature of stars. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 50.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd, Durham NC 27705
Don Ellison is professor emeritus in the Physics Department of NC State University. In 1982 Ellison earned a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America in Washington. He had joint postdocs at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center before joining NCSU in 1987. In addition to research in high-energy astrophysics, Ellison taught physics and astrophysics at the university level and since 2019 has taught OLLI courses for OLLI, NCSU and the University of Pittsburgh.