Speaker's Night: The life and death of (relatively) small stars

Dr. Christina Smith, Centre for Research in Earth and Space Sciences, York University

Small stars, those with masses less than 8 times that of our Sun, evolve very differently to their much larger counterparts. These relatively small stars are never able to create high enough temperatures and pressures in their cores to burn carbon and oxygen. Instead, they pass through a series of complex phases of evolution during which these stars expand, pulse and eventually shed their outer layers in a dramatic fashion, ultimately enriching the Milky Way. In this lecture Dr. Smith will talk through the evolution and eventual demise of these stars, discussing how we study them and highlighting some interesting findings along the way.

http://www.yorku.ca/chrsmith/index.html

Who can attend: Everyone including non-members
Fee: Free
Reservation not needed
Location: North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON  M2N 6M1
Meeting Room: Burgundy Room A