how are elements made?
In: 5
new elements in nature are only created in the cores of stars. During the normal parts of their lives the intense pressure and heat in the cores of stars causes nuclear fusion with light elements like hydrogen and helium, literally fusing the protons and neutrons together to form a heavier element. Depending on how large the star is this fusion process can keep going and be stable up until it starts trying to fuse together iron.
at that point or earlier most smaller stars either collapse and shed their outer layers to become a hot ball of matter known as a dwarf star, or in very large stars, go supernova and cause a massive explosion. its in these stellar “deaths” where the universe is given new elements. any elements the star had created through fusion up until now will be expelled when the star forms a dwarf or supernova, and during the final stage of the star’s life, the violent contractions and then explosions of both star types has enough pressure to create elements heavier than iron, up all the way to uranium. these are then blasted off into space to form a nebula that will in time birth new stars and planets.
Latest Answers