What are the two lightest elements, created in the Big Bang, that primarily compose the cold gas clouds where stars originate?
Answer
Hydrogen and helium
The vast, cold clouds known as nebulae, which serve as stellar nurseries, are principally composed of hydrogen and helium, the two lightest elements formed during the Big Bang.
Frequently Asked Questions
What process is collectively known as the mechanism by which stars build up heavier elements?What are the two lightest elements, created in the Big Bang, that primarily compose the cold gas clouds where stars originate?What core temperature must be surpassed for nuclear fusion to ignite and a star to officially join the main sequence?Which fusion reaction pathway is dominant for converting hydrogen into helium in lower-mass stars, such as the Sun?In massive stars, what elements function primarily as catalysts within the fusion cycle that converts hydrogen to helium?What delicate balance must be maintained during a star's main sequence phase to ensure stability?During helium burning in Sun-like stars, what process causes three helium nuclei to fuse almost simultaneously?What is the final stable remnant left by stars up to about eight times the mass of the Sun after they expel their outer layers?Why does the core fusion process cease abruptly in massive stars once the core primarily consists of iron ($ ext{Fe}$)?Which neutron capture process is responsible for creating roughly half of the elements heavier than iron, such as barium and lead?What catastrophic event provides the necessary extreme conditions for the r-process to forge the heaviest elements beyond iron?If the remnant core mass following a supernova collapse is between 1.4 and 3 solar masses, what type of object is formed?