-
2150 - - Each element has a unique fingerprint in its
light spectrum. The youngest stars had
thousands of overlapping fingerprints because they were made from several
generations of earlier stars. Stars in
the earlier universe had far less complex mixtures of elements. That made it easier to sort each element out
of the mix.
-
-
-
--------------------------- 2150 - Elements
- What the universe is made of.
-
- In the 19th century astronomers first
discovered the light spectrum coming from distant stars. The spectrums had some missing colors, some dark
absorption lines. They soon realized
that these missing colors revealed the elements present in the light source of
each star. Each element absorbs a unique set
of colors. No two elements have
the same fingerprint of colors absorbed, wavelengths of energy that allow electrons
to jump between energy levels.
-
- Astronomers later realized that the width of
these absorption lines was a function of how fast the star was receding away
from us. Therefore, how far the star was
form us and how early in the universe creation it was born.
-
- By 1957 astronomers realized that all the
elements heavier than hydrogen, helium, and lithium were created in the cores of
stars after the Big Bang had cooled to 3,000 degrees, after about 3 minutes. These heavier elements were spread throughout
space when each star exploded at the end of its life.
-
- Each element has a unique fingerprint in its
light spectrum. The youngest stars had thousands
of overlapping fingerprints because they were made from several generations of
earlier stars. Stars in the earlier
universe had far less complex mixtures of elements. That made it easier to sort each element out
of the mix.
-
- These were the older more pristine stars but rare
because they have died soon after our 13.8 billion year old universe began. Astronomers have found only 5 stars that each
hold 1/100,000 or less of the amount of heavy elements that are in our Sun. These are those early pristine first
generation stars
-
- Gravity compresses the core of a star to
where temperatures reach 27,000,000 degrees F.
This heat and high temperatures cause the atom's electrons to become unattached
from their nuclei. Nuclear reaction
cause hydrogen atom nuclei to combine to create helium nuclei. This nuclear reaction radiates gamma rays
that radiate out from the core. This is
the outward pressure that prevents the star from collapsing due to immense
gravity that is trying to compress it.
-
- As the gamma rays work their way out of the
star they lose energy. When they reach
the surface some have the energy of optical light. The star shines. We can see the optical light but actually the
star's radiation stretches from gamma rays to radio waves, including the
optical light we can see.
-
- When this light leaves the star's atmosphere
the radiation that is absorbed at specific frequencies identifies each element
of the gas that the light passes through..
Each color is precisely the frequency, or wavelength, that the element
needs to boost its electron to another energy level. Each element has different electron orbit
shells and therefore different energy gaps.
Energy level is a function of wavelength.
-
- Most of the elements up to iron are created
in the star's core where temperatures and pressures are most extreme. All the elements up to iron, that has 26
protons in its nucleus, releases its energy through nuclear fusion. It takes more energy than nuclear fusion can
generate in order to create elements heavier than iron. A more violent process is needed in order to
create elements heavier than iron.
-
- A "neutron capture process" is
needed to create these heavier elements.
This occurs when captured neutrons turn themselves into a proton
-electron. This process cannot resist the enormous pressure of gravity and the
stars surface collapses into the core.
The massive rebound at the core explodes into a supernova explosion of enormous
energies.
-
- Studying these stellar explosions is no easy
task. It takes the combined disciplines
of atomic physics, spectroscopy, computer modeling, and astrophysics. These teams are working together to
understand how stars explode, how the heavier elements are created, and how we
came to be out of the cosmos.
-
-
We mostly mentioned hydrogen and helium as
the first elements produced in the Big Bang. But, there were traces of other elements also produced
in those first three minutes. One is deuterium
which adds a neutron to the nucleus of hydrogen. It is also called heavy hydrogen.
-
-
Lithium is another one of those trace elements.
Lithium has 3 protons in the nucleus. Only recently have astronomers detected lithium
being produced in supernovae. They have also
found the element beryllium, and beryllium decays into lithium. Supernovae may have produced as much as 80% of
the non-primordial lithium.
-
- Other Reviews about the Elements, See also Chemistry
-
- 1757
- How do stars create
energy? How do they create the elements
. The Big Bang created only a few
elements, mostly hydrogen and helium. Our Sun will sustain fusion of hydrogen
into helium for 10 billion years. Somehow supernovae explosions have produced
all the heavier elements like iron, gold, and silver. Our most powerful particle accelerators still
cannot do that.
-
- 1644
- California's green energy and
how the rare earth metals are running our knowledge economy. This reviews tells you what the rare earth
metals are and how we get them.
-
- 1297
- There are 92 natural
elements. Our human bodies are made up
of a few dozens of these. We are 61%
oxygen and 22% carbon.
-
- 1154
- What was created in the first 3
minutes of the Universe? After that we
have to wait another 100,000,000 years for the stars to create more
elements.
-
- 1153
- Where did the elements come
from? The heavier elements all came from
stars dying. From ashes to ashes. Everything formed from the multiple generations
of stars that will eventually cool and go dark.
-
- 825
- Creating the first
element. There are 116 elements in
today's Periodic Table. When measuring
elements in the Universe 74% is hydrogen, 24% is helium. Only 2% is left for the other 114 elements.
That 2% is all star dust from exploding supernovae.
-
- November 3, 2018.
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--------------------- Saturday, November 03, 2018 -------------------------
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