Waves are observed within blue supergiants

Scientists have used space telescopes to explain one of the mysteries of blue super giants–massive stars that, like rock ’n’ rollers, live fast and die young.

Their relatively short life spans before they explode into supernovae have made blue supergiants difficult to study, but experts have now been able to observe the waves that ripple through them.

Astrophysicist Dr Tamar a Rogers, from Newcastle University, has led a team for five years, creating simulation soft he stars to determine what it is that gives their surface its appearance.

The team predicted that gravity waves, like those we see in the ocean, could break at the surface of stars. They also predicted the emergence of a second type of wave similar to the seismic waves on Ear th, which are generated from deep within the star.