RECIPE FOR A STAR: THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM AND THE SUPERNOVA FEEDBACK LOOP

Abstract

Where once the stars were considered a sacred repository of knowledge we now ascribe a different set of meanings when we read the stars. The holders of knowledge have changed and the new storytellers spin the tales, reposing the big questions through the lens of modern space exploration: Who are we? What is Space? Are we alone? (Why is the answer to life, the universe, and everything forty-two?) Radio New Zealand has guests who are interviewed about Space-X and Hyperloop, NASA launches a high altitude balloon to look into deep space, delve into black holes, investigate gamma rays and announces a manned space mission to Mars. Finally....Space is back and it’s the new black. Motes float through the open doorway as I vacuum the dust on the rug. How will the new space race technology impact on appliance design I wonder? What kind of furry granular constellation is forming in the innards of my dust-busting machine? Is this is a whirling microcosm of the universal housework taking place on a grander scale in our galactic backyard?