Examining exploding stars through the atomic nucleus

Imagine being able to view microscopic aspects of a classical nova, a massive stellar explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star (about as big as Earth), in a laboratory rather than from afar via a telescope. Cosmic detonations of this scale and larger created many of the atoms in our bodies. A safe way to study these events in laboratories on Earth is to investigate the exotic nuclei or ‘rare isotopes’ that influence them.

(via WSJ)