The Death star

Episode of Series “Horizon”.
This is the fascinating story of the discovery of the “hypernova” and perhaps the key to the mystery of how stars are created. Astronomers and scientists have been baffled for many decades since the first US satellite launched in 1967 detected bursts of gamma rays - the deadliest form of energy known - of an intensity and scale so massive that Einstein’s law of mass and gravity, E=mc2, began to be challenged by some astronomers. Theories and hypotheses of where exactly these massive explosions were taking place, ie within our own galaxy or somewhere further out in the universe, were being put forward from renowned astronomers across the globe and it wasn’t until 30 years later in 1997 that the mystery began to unfold and scientists were able to pinpoint the exact location of the bursts. Through interviews with various astronomers including Prof. Bohdan Paczynski, Prof. Martin Rees and Prof. Stan Woosley, an informative discourse is offered on the theories of the creation and formation of the universe; the Cosmic “dark age”; gamma rays; neutron stars; black holes; and the death and birth of stars or stellar synthesis and the hypernova. Containing some spectacular images created by computer animation this program both informs and entertains at the same time. Narrated by John Shrapnel.