Carl Sagan said, “We are made of starstuff.” And most of that starstuff came from the explosions of really big stars. Here is a recent SETI Institute seminar about the latest developments in understanding the life and death processes of massive stars: The Evolution and Explosion of Massive Stars -SETI Institute

Massive stars (at least ~8 solar masses) play an essential role to the evolution of the universe. They lose energy in radiation and neutrinos as they evolve, to create elements necessary to life and to stir the interstellar medium. Upon their death, they experience a dynamical instability that often creates spectacular explosions, which are the birth cries of exotic compact remnants – neutron stars and black holes.

The field of evolution and explosion of massive stars has progressed tremendously in the past half-century, yet there are still many issues remain at large. In this talk, soon to be Dr. Sukhbold will provide a generic overview of the problem and will discuss recent developments on surveying the explosion outcomes of massive stars (nucleosynthesis, remnants, light curves) through 1-dimensional calculations