Star stuff
Almost all of the heavy elements that exist in nature – carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, calcium, etc. – were originally formed as a result of nuclear reactions within the core of dying stars. This is one of the only locations in the universe we know of that is capable of producing these elements naturally.
You are made of all of these elements. The material that constitutes your body was formed in the core of a star a long time ago.
You are made of all of these elements. The material that constitutes your body was formed in the core of a star a long time ago.
The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff.Look up at the night sky. See those little pinpricks of light? Who knows whether, at the end of the star's life, the elements it formed will eventually come together to form new life?
—Carl Sagan, Cosmos