How do stars create heavy elements through fusion?
Quick Answer
Stars fuse lighter elements into heavier ones in their cores, starting with hydrogen and, in massive stars, building up to iron. Elements heavier than iron are made mainly by neutron-capture processes during supernovae and neutron-star mergers.
The Full Story
Stellar nucleosynthesis begins when gravity compresses a star’s core enough for hydrogen to fuse into helium. In more massive stars, later stages can fuse helium into carbon and oxygen, then progressively heavier elements up to iron. Iron is a turning point because fusing it does not release energy, so very massive stars can no longer power themselves by fusion at that stage. Elements heavier than iron are formed mostly by rapid or slow neutron capture, especially in supernova explosions and neutron-star mergers. This is why the atoms in planets and people were forged in ancient stars.
Key Facts
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