114: A Burst of Tellurium

We've talked BOATs before — cosmic events that are the Brightest Of All Time — and it's always a favourite topic on the show. Recently astronomers analysed the runner-up BOAT in the Burster category, an astoundingly violent, weirdly long-lasting, and oddly-located neutron star merger, and measured the amount of afterglow Tellurium to learn more about fast neutron processes. What?! As Emily patiently explains, with a brief cameo from Tom Lehrer, it's all about a deeper understanding of where all the chemical elements in the universe come from.

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Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.

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Things we talk about in this episode:

• Research paper

• Overview of the research

• Syzygy episodes with BOATS:

— Episode 30: Stardust or Cosmic Poo

— Episode 61: Biggest Bag Ever!

— Episode 107: Biggest Bang Ever! (Again)

• Nucleosynthesis

• The rapid neutron capture process

• … as opposed to the slow neutron capture process

• Tom Lehrer’s Elements song

• Binding Blocks

• The actual BOAT