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The Life and Death of Stars

By: Keivan G. Stassun, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Keivan G. Stassun
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Publisher's Summary

Long ago, the magnificence of the star-filled sky and its clock-like motions inspired people to invent myths to explain this impressive feature of nature. Now we understand the stars at a much deeper level, not as legendary figures connected with constellations, but as engines of matter, energy, and the raw material of life itself. And thanks to powerful telescopes, our view of the stars is more stunning than ever.

The Life and Death of Stars introduces you to this spectacular story in 24 half-hour lectures that lead you through the essential ideas of astrophysics - the science of stars. Your guide is Professor Stassun, an award-winning teacher and noted astrophysicist. He provides lively, eloquent, and authoritative explanations at a level suitable for science novices as well as for those who already know their way around the starry sky.

The Life and Death of Stars takes you to some otherworldly destinations, including stellar nurseries, planetary nebulae, the core of the sun, and protoplanetary systems. You also become familiar with the periodic table of elements, discovering how fusion reactions inside stars forge successively heavier atoms, producing some in abundance, temporarily skipping others, and creating everything heavier than iron.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 The Great Courses (P)2014 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about The Life and Death of Stars

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Suitable for junior high students

I am really disappointed that this is not a university level course. The author heavily relies on biological metaphors to describe this material. I cringe every time i hear that stars are born in ‘wombs’ and telescopes are like the human eye. If this content was condensed into two lectures i might really value this book. Instead i have to meditate and waste hours of ear time seeking the infrequent gems about stellar and planetary science.

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Captivating and engaging

The story format works really well as an audiobook. And the narrator was obviously passionate about our getting that story across. It may not satisfy people hoping for a deep mathematical dive into the cosmos but it lays out a memorable and highly informative narrative. I didn’t really understand the meaning of us - life on earth - being made of “’star stuff “ until I listened to this. Now I have a foundational understanding of the life and death of stars I am ready to take a deeper cosmological dive into the galaxy.

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Amazing

I absolutely loved this one!! The book takes you on a wonderful journey out of space.

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