Elements articles

Are stars necessary for life?

Are stars necessary for life?

The presence of a star appears, at first glance, to be the most self-evident requirement for life as we comprehend it, g...

What elements form from a supernova shockwave?

What elements form from a supernova shockwave?

The dramatic end of a massive star, a supernova, is far more than just a spectacular light show; it is the universe’s mo...

How does the size of a star determine what elements are created?

How does the size of a star determine what elements are created?

The sheer size, or mass, of a star acts as the universe's ultimate dial setting for chemical creation. It dictates the p...

What elements are fused in a supernova?

What elements are fused in a supernova?

The final, catastrophic moments of a massive star are the universe’s most dramatic factories, producing nearly every ele...

What elements are used to make a star?

What elements are used to make a star?

The composition of a star is one of the most fundamental questions in astronomy, moving us from the simple notion of a s...

What is the process of element formation in stars?

What is the process of element formation in stars?

The entire universe, as we know it, owes its physical building blocks to the life and demise of stars. While we often lo...

What is the primary element that stars are made of?

What is the primary element that stars are made of?

Stars, those brilliant beacons dotting the night sky, appear as simple points of light, but their internal mechanics and...

What elements are formed in supernovas?

What elements are formed in supernovas?

The iron in your blood, the calcium in your bones, and the silicon that forms the rocky core of our world—all of it was ...

What elements are made in a high mass star?

What elements are made in a high mass star?

The immense power driving the brightest and shortest-lived stars in the cosmos is the engine for creating nearly every e...

What elements are produced in low-mass stars?

What elements are produced in low-mass stars?

The vast cosmic machinery responsible for creating the chemical elements that make up everything we see—from distant neb...

What elements are being fused in a supernova?

What elements are being fused in a supernova?

The creation of elements across the cosmos is a dramatic, layered process, with supernovae acting as the universe’s most...

What elements do big stars produce?

What elements do big stars produce?

The elements that compose everything we see—from the air we breathe to the iron in our blood—are not primordial; they ar...

How does a large star create elements?

How does a large star create elements?

The universe is an extraordinary chemical laboratory, and the engine driving the creation of nearly every element heavie...

What elements do super giants produce?

What elements do super giants produce?

Massive stars, those born with many times the mass of our Sun, evolve into supergiant stars, representing some of the mo...

What are the elements in a giant star?

What are the elements in a giant star?

The elemental makeup of a giant star is a direct consequence of its life story, a long-term nuclear process that builds ...

What is the primary process by which elements are formed in stars?

What is the primary process by which elements are formed in stars?

The creation of elements, from the simplest ones we know to the complex building blocks of life, is fundamentally tied t...

What is used by stars to create new elements?

What is used by stars to create new elements?

The raw material for almost everything around us—the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, and the oxygen we brea...

How do stars produce elements throughout their life cycle?

How do stars produce elements throughout their life cycle?

Stars are not just distant, unchanging pinpricks of light; they are the universe’s original, colossal element factories....

What elements are stars made of?

What elements are stars made of?

The vast majority of what we see twinkling in the night sky—the light that has traveled for years, decades, or millennia...

What element is fused in the core of a star?

What element is fused in the core of a star?

The engine driving a star's brilliance and keeping it from collapsing under its own immense gravity is a process called ...