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So what happens to all this material?? Gas that took a million years to
collapse and form a star is now returned to the interstellar medium
in a matter of a few hundred years. The difference? NOW the material
is full of METALS (not just C, N, O.. But: Gold, Cesium, URANIUM!)
Atomic Fusion (fusing together two atoms to make a heavier atom) releases energy up to Iron (which has 26 protons). To Fuse atoms larger than Iron requires energy---it will never occur inside a Star. However, such energies are supplied by the power of in Supernova explosions. we SEE elements heavier than Iron only because of the energy released in Supernova explosions. |
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Atoms in our bodies formed inside a massive star and went through a Supernova!
