Why stars spin down, or up, before they die (IMAGE)

Kyoto University

Why stars spin down, or up, before they die

Caption

Illustration of the inner regions of a massive star during its final oxygen (green) and silicon (teal) shell burning phase, before the collapse of the iron core (indigo). The strength and geometry of the magnetic field, combined with the properties of convection in the oxygen region can cause the rotation rate to speed up or slow down.

Credit

KyotoU / Lucy McNeill

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