Cosmic Queries – Starquakes with Conny Aerts

In this episode of StarTalk Cosmic Queries, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen explore the fascinating science of astroseismology with guest Conny Aerts, a professor of astroseismology at Radboud University in the Netherlands and KU Leuven in Belgium. The conversation demystifies 'starquakes'—not violent events like earthquakes, but continuous, smooth oscillations in stars caused by internal sound waves. These oscillations, detectable through tiny brightness variations, allow scientists to probe the hidden interiors of stars, revealing their structure, rotation, and composition. Aerts explains how stellar 'music' can be sonified into audible frequencies, making astronomy accessible to blind audiences and transforming cosmic data into art. The episode also addresses listener questions about planetary quakes, the dimming of Betelgeuse, the role of the James Webb Space Telescope, and the potential dangers of stellar activity. Aerts emphasizes that starquakes are not destructive but essential tools for understanding stellar evolution, with future missions like PLATO poised to revolutionize the field through long-term, high-precision observations. Key takeaways include: starquakes are not abrupt but continuous oscillations that reveal internal stellar structure; sonification allows the 'music of the spheres' to be heard by all, including blind astronomers; rotation inside stars, previously unknown, is now measurable through frequency shifts; the dimming of Betelgeuse was due to ejected dust obscuring the star, not an imminent supernova; and long-duration space missions like Kepler and PLATO are essential for detecting low-frequency stellar oscillations. The episode concludes with a celebration of curiosity, inclusion, and the joy of discovery in astrophysics.