How hot is it inside the sun? How big is the red dwarf next door? And how long has BetgeUze about before it will explode as a supernova? All of this can be calculated - with only four seemingly simple equations. The interior of a star is predictable, and that is far into the past and as well as the future.
But, of course, nothing is as simple in the universe as it might seem at first glance, not even stars. Because in order to calculate the structure and development of stars, you can't get anywhere with paper, pencil and brain wax alone. That's why the first computers were of great help, even if they filled an entire room at the beginning and were fed with punched cards.
In this episode of the astrogeo podcast, Franzi tells the history of such a "arithmetic machine program" that has been further developed since the 1960s: a code that reveals physicists how it looks inside a star and how a star will develop . Don't worry: Neither mathematical skills nor programming skills are necessary for enjoying this episode.
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