From dust to dust: Massive stars at early and late evolutionary phases

Astronomers observe stars that weigh over a hundred times more than our Sun in our Milky Way and other galaxies, but can't easily explain how they formed since they are obscured by gas and dust left over from their birth. This proposal aims to help address this by using a new infrared space telescope that can peer deep into these regions. In addition, we aim to study how the properties of high mass stars behave in different types of galaxy, and investigate nearby counterparts to high redshift star forming galaxies which we can observe in much greater detail. Finally, we plan to study massive stars close to the end of their life, on the point of a Supernova (this happens when nuclear reactions within its core can no longer support gravity), to unravel how important elements such as oxygen and neon are produced within their cores.