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RCW 86 supernova remnant enhanced image credit: NASA / ESA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / CXC / SAO (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) |
Elements heavier than iron form in supernova explosions. End of story. We can all rest now. But wait…To finish reading, click on "How Well Do Astrophysicists Understand the Origin of Heavy Elements?"
The origin of heavy elements via supernovas is one of those facts everybody learns without question. Astronomers say so in textbooks, on TV and in science media without any qualification, like “scientists believe” or “scientists think” it is so. It just is so, we are told. It led Carl Sagan and many of his disciples to quote, “We are made of starstuff.” Stuff happens, and this stuff exploded out of stars. Some of the stuff you might want to gather though; it includes gold and platinum.
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