Sagan in his work Cosmos, which was published both as a book and as a 13-part documentary series; He wrote and explained that the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, and the carbon in apple pies were formed in collapsing stars. The television adaptation of the world-famous and arousing Cosmos was later filmed and broadcast again in 2014 with the presentation of Neil deGrasse Tyson. If you haven't read it yet, we recommend Sagan's work called Cosmos, and if you haven't, we recommend Cosmos documentaries published with the presentations of both Sagan and Tyson. You can see all our documentary recommendations here.
Returning to the subject of our being stardust, when we consider the Big Bang Theory, we can say that it is a widely accepted view of the scientific community that there is little need to falsify or confirm Sagan's statement. Because this theory is a widely accepted cosmic model for the formation and large-scale evolution of the Universe. However, if we want to observe and measure this claim, where and how should we start?
Back to the Big Bang...
At the time of the big bang, the universe was thought to be at an infinite temperature (its size is zero), and only seconds later, particles in subatomic dimensions began to come together (photon, electron, proton). However, it took 380,000 years after the Big Bang for electrons to become trapped around the atomic nucleus and form the first Hydrogen (H) atom. Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table to contain only one proton in its nucleus. Thus began the journey of the elements.
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As the expansion and cooling of the universe continued, hydrogen atoms, which could not escape gravity, began to collide with each other. In this process, also known as nuclear fusion, Helium (He) atoms were formed as a result of the merging of nuclei of hydrogen atoms (with their nuclei uniting and a single nucleus having two protons). It is the second element in the periodic table. A large amount of light and energy is also released by the conversion of hydrogen into helium, and this is the star we define in general terms. The combination of two atoms, releasing light, heat and great energy, is Einstein's famous E=mc2E=mc^2E=mc
2nd
is an example of the formula.
The elements we know and observe in the universe were formed as a result of the stars, like our Sun, converting the energy they need, hydrogen atoms into helium (and producing large amounts of light and energy) by nuclear fusion of lighter elements into heavier elements. Of course, the formation of these elements does not occur in a certain order and order, and as far as is known, the heaviest element formed in this way is Iron (Fe). You can learn more about this in our article here.
"Supernova", one of the terms used in cosmology, refers to the extraordinarily violent explosion of stars much larger than the Sun when they reach the end of their lives. Supernovas can dwarf the brightness of galaxies with billions of stars and destroy anything within a hundred or more light-years of the explosion. But the magnificence of supernovas doesn't end there. They also gave rise to life by allowing the formation of most of the heavy elements that we see around us.
Carbon, the bsic building block of Earth's life, is the heaviest metal formed during the normal phases of stars. However, for the formation of elements heavier than carbon, such as sodium, lead, gold or uranium, a puny "red giant" must be used.It needs more energy than it can absorb, and that energy is found in a dying star. (Red giant is the late phase of the star when it has low or medium mass). These new heavy elements, created by massive stars until their energy runs out, are then "scattered" into the interstellar medium with a supernova explosion.