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Supernova Remnants Are the nebulous remains of a supernova. It is made up of the shell of material thrown off by the dying star. So what happens to all this material released in supernova and in Planetary Nebulae?? Gas that took a million years to collapse and form a star is now returned to the interstellar medium. The difference? NOW the material is full of METALS. However, we find not just C, N, O created inside the star cores.. But: Gold, Cesium, URANIUM! Where did these heavier elements come from? 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 a Supernova explosions. We SEE elements heavier than Iron only because of the energy released in Supernova explosions which is able to fuse heavy elements to create even heavier elements. |
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Most of the Atoms in our bodies formed deep inside a star's core, and many others were formed and then released when that star went through a Supernova.
