Astronomy Cast Ep. 786: Wolf-Rayet Stars
3/16/202634 min
Astronomy Cast Ep. 786: Wolf-Rayet Stars By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 9, 2026. You think the Sun is a terrifying ball of fire and fury? Wait until you learn about today's topic: Wolf-Rayet stars! These are massive, dying stars hurling their outer layers out into space before detonating as supernovae. Big stars live brief lives, and Wolf-Rayet stars are the punctuation mark we see before things go supernova. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Science: Yinuo Han (Caltech), Ryan White (Macquarie University); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Learn more here: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/w... This...
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First 90 secondsFraser Cain· Host0:00
[on-hold music] Astronomy Cast, episode 786: Wolf-Rayet Stars. Welcome to Astronomy Cast, your weekly facts-based journey through the cosmos, where we help you understand not only what we know, but how we know what we know. I'm Fraser Cain. I'm the publisher of Universe Today. With me, as always, is Dr. Pamela Gay, a senior scientist for the Planetary Science Institute and the director of CosmoQuest. Hello, Pamela.
Pamela Gay· Host1:10
[laughs] You didn't ask me how I'm doing- I know ... and I don't know what to say- I know.
Fraser Cain· Host1:14
I know. I know ...
Pamela Gay· Host1:14
other than hello. Have you seen a bear yet?
Fraser Cain· Host1:18
No, no bears yet. [sighs] No.
Pamela Gay· Host1:20
Oh, well.
Fraser Cain· Host1:20
No. Uh- But you still have daffodils? Pine, pinemarten. No, no daffodils yet. [sighs] Pinemarten croc-crocuses.
Pamela Gay· Host1:26
Okay.
Fraser Cain· Host1:27
And m- and our various flowering fruit trees