Are we really star-stuff from the interior of collapsing stars?












25












$begingroup$


Carl Sagan has said several times that we are "star-stuff".



One instance can be found in Good Reads' Carl Sagan > Quotes > Quotable Quote:




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 starstuff.




Question: Was most of my nitrogen really made in the interior of a star during its collapse? Was my calcium and iron made there as well, and not (for example) in an expanding shell after a supernova?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago








  • 6




    $begingroup$
    @Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
    $endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago






  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
    $endgroup$
    – Anders Sandberg
    2 days ago
















25












$begingroup$


Carl Sagan has said several times that we are "star-stuff".



One instance can be found in Good Reads' Carl Sagan > Quotes > Quotable Quote:




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 starstuff.




Question: Was most of my nitrogen really made in the interior of a star during its collapse? Was my calcium and iron made there as well, and not (for example) in an expanding shell after a supernova?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago








  • 6




    $begingroup$
    @Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
    $endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago






  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
    $endgroup$
    – Anders Sandberg
    2 days ago














25












25








25


5



$begingroup$


Carl Sagan has said several times that we are "star-stuff".



One instance can be found in Good Reads' Carl Sagan > Quotes > Quotable Quote:




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 starstuff.




Question: Was most of my nitrogen really made in the interior of a star during its collapse? Was my calcium and iron made there as well, and not (for example) in an expanding shell after a supernova?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




Carl Sagan has said several times that we are "star-stuff".



One instance can be found in Good Reads' Carl Sagan > Quotes > Quotable Quote:




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 starstuff.




Question: Was most of my nitrogen really made in the interior of a star during its collapse? Was my calcium and iron made there as well, and not (for example) in an expanding shell after a supernova?







star supernova nucleosynthesis






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday









HDE 226868

19.5k264121




19.5k264121










asked 2 days ago









uhohuhoh

5,17821658




5,17821658








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago








  • 6




    $begingroup$
    @Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
    $endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago






  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
    $endgroup$
    – Anders Sandberg
    2 days ago














  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago








  • 6




    $begingroup$
    @Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
    $endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    2 days ago








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
    $endgroup$
    – Alchimista
    2 days ago






  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
    $endgroup$
    – Anders Sandberg
    2 days ago








3




3




$begingroup$
Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
$endgroup$
– Alchimista
2 days ago






$begingroup$
Well you are looking for a somehow very fine distinction. I would call it stars stuff anyway. Normally the synthesis up to iron is explained has due to fusion in inner core of stable or going to collapse stars. Heavier elements are thought to form upon supernova explosion due to the very high energy of the ejecta (plus other mechanism such as capture which should less related to supernova). It seems reasonable that light elements could form as you said, as for the supernova inputs energy to the remaining external shells which still contain H He etc. Just to discuss because I am not sure...
$endgroup$
– Alchimista
2 days ago






6




6




$begingroup$
@Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago






$begingroup$
@Alchimista you expect me to take the word of an alchimista on nucleosynthesis? ;-)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago






2




2




$begingroup$
Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
$endgroup$
– PM 2Ring
2 days ago






$begingroup$
Many elements are made by the s-process and distributed by AGB stars that aren't collapsing, and which will never go supernova. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8894/… for details. And let's not forget the triple alpha process and the CNO cycle.
$endgroup$
– PM 2Ring
2 days ago






2




2




$begingroup$
@uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
$endgroup$
– Alchimista
2 days ago




$begingroup$
@uhoh :)) yes forget everything goes to gold
$endgroup$
– Alchimista
2 days ago




3




3




$begingroup$
Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
$endgroup$
– Anders Sandberg
2 days ago




$begingroup$
Yes, most everyday stuff is from normal fusion in smaller stars ejected as planetary nebula or heavier stuff made in supernovas. The two exceptions are heavy elements like gold, that emerge from neutron star mergers (still starstuff) and beryllium and boron, that are mostly spallation. And some primordial hydrogen, helium and lithium, of course.
$endgroup$
– Anders Sandberg
2 days ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















39












$begingroup$

The straightforward answer is, "Yes, we are made of star stuff."



Some of it will be from the interior of collapsing stars, some will be from supernovas, some from normal everyday fusion, and some from other processes.



The answers from @HDE226868 and @RobJeffries on this question on where heavier elements come from gives good background, including this nugget:




The split between r-process and s-process production of heavier than iron (peak) elements is about 50:50. ie They weren't mainly made in supernovae, which is a frequent, incorrect claim.




but of most importance is Rob's final point:




The relative contributions of various sites to the r-process remains an unsettled matter. You could also read my answers on this topic in Physics Stack Exchange.




On following Rob's links I think this provides you with an excellent overall answer (and relative percentages)




A more up-to-date visualisation of what goes on (produced by Jennifer Johnson) and which attempts to identify the sites (as a percentage) for each chemical element is shown below. It should be stressed that the details are still subject to a lot of model-dependent uncertainty.
enter image description here




Looking at C and N - the majority seems to be from dying low mass stars, and Ca and Fe are from exploding stars, which indicates that Carl is not far off the mark.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 2




    $begingroup$
    well this will keep me busy, thank you!
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 10




    $begingroup$
    That image is great!
    $endgroup$
    – N. Steinle
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
    $endgroup$
    – Chappo
    7 hours ago



















18












$begingroup$

Sagan's quote is half-correct. While some of these elements are created during or immediately prior to a supernova of some sort, others are either partially or entirely fused during normal stellar nucleosynthesis. Nitrogen falls into the latter category, whereas calcium and iron have one foot in each. On the whole, though, calling these elements "starstuff" is pretty accurate.



Nitrogen



My answer serves largely to complement Rory's, and to address the issue of nitrogen production in particular, partly since there is some disagreement as to how much high-mass stars produce. It is thought that the majority of nitrogen is produced in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, which includes the subprocess originally known as the CN cycle. The CNO cycle is only dominant in stars more massive than the Sun, partly because the energy generation rate is much more sensitive to temperature than the proton-proton chain (scaling as $epsilonsim T^{20}$, compared to $epsilonsim T^4$), largely because the Coulomb barrier is much higher for the CNO cycle.



Intermediate-mass AGB stars, with masses in the vicinity of $5M_{odot}$, enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen through strong stellar winds (1, 2), and are thought to be the most important contributors to nitrogen synthesis. AGB stars are post-main sequence stars that have ascended the red giant branch and are now large and luminous, undergoing shell burning of helium and hydrogen. Their high mass-loss rates are responsible for the enrichment, and most of this mass loss happens before the planetary nebula phase; therefore, I'd be reluctant to characterize the sources of nitrogen as even dying stars. They're simply old, evolved intermediate-mass stars - still not massive enough to undergo supernovae, but also not true low-mass stars.



In short, the answer to the nitrogen question is no, most nitrogen in the universe was not made from supernova nucleosynthesis, but was indeed made by lower-mass stars, in particular intermediate-mass AGB stars. The contributions of supernovae are, as indicated above, not agreed upon.



Calcium



Calcium can indeed be produced via nucleosynthesis in massive stars, usually via silicon- and oxygen- based pathways that synthesize $^{40}text{Ca}$, a common calcium isotope. Recently, discoveries of calcium-rich supernovae have indicated that those could be substantial contributors to calcium abundances. The characteristics of the progenitors are not yet known; they could be low-mass white dwarfs accreting matter from a companion, compact objects colliding, or higher-mass stars undergoing traditional core collapse supernovae. We don't have enough data to determine what the contribution of these supernovae is to calcium production, although it's being worked on.



Iron



Much of the iron produced by stars is in the form of the isotope $^{56}text{Fe}$, which is one of the end results of silicon burning in the extreme late stages (essentially the last day or so) of a high-mass star's life, as well as in supernovae. $^{56}text{Ni}$ is initially synthesized but decays to $^{56}text{Co}$ and eventually $^{56}text{Fe}$.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
    $endgroup$
    – HDE 226868
    2 days ago











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2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









39












$begingroup$

The straightforward answer is, "Yes, we are made of star stuff."



Some of it will be from the interior of collapsing stars, some will be from supernovas, some from normal everyday fusion, and some from other processes.



The answers from @HDE226868 and @RobJeffries on this question on where heavier elements come from gives good background, including this nugget:




The split between r-process and s-process production of heavier than iron (peak) elements is about 50:50. ie They weren't mainly made in supernovae, which is a frequent, incorrect claim.




but of most importance is Rob's final point:




The relative contributions of various sites to the r-process remains an unsettled matter. You could also read my answers on this topic in Physics Stack Exchange.




On following Rob's links I think this provides you with an excellent overall answer (and relative percentages)




A more up-to-date visualisation of what goes on (produced by Jennifer Johnson) and which attempts to identify the sites (as a percentage) for each chemical element is shown below. It should be stressed that the details are still subject to a lot of model-dependent uncertainty.
enter image description here




Looking at C and N - the majority seems to be from dying low mass stars, and Ca and Fe are from exploding stars, which indicates that Carl is not far off the mark.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 2




    $begingroup$
    well this will keep me busy, thank you!
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 10




    $begingroup$
    That image is great!
    $endgroup$
    – N. Steinle
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
    $endgroup$
    – Chappo
    7 hours ago
















39












$begingroup$

The straightforward answer is, "Yes, we are made of star stuff."



Some of it will be from the interior of collapsing stars, some will be from supernovas, some from normal everyday fusion, and some from other processes.



The answers from @HDE226868 and @RobJeffries on this question on where heavier elements come from gives good background, including this nugget:




The split between r-process and s-process production of heavier than iron (peak) elements is about 50:50. ie They weren't mainly made in supernovae, which is a frequent, incorrect claim.




but of most importance is Rob's final point:




The relative contributions of various sites to the r-process remains an unsettled matter. You could also read my answers on this topic in Physics Stack Exchange.




On following Rob's links I think this provides you with an excellent overall answer (and relative percentages)




A more up-to-date visualisation of what goes on (produced by Jennifer Johnson) and which attempts to identify the sites (as a percentage) for each chemical element is shown below. It should be stressed that the details are still subject to a lot of model-dependent uncertainty.
enter image description here




Looking at C and N - the majority seems to be from dying low mass stars, and Ca and Fe are from exploding stars, which indicates that Carl is not far off the mark.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 2




    $begingroup$
    well this will keep me busy, thank you!
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 10




    $begingroup$
    That image is great!
    $endgroup$
    – N. Steinle
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
    $endgroup$
    – Chappo
    7 hours ago














39












39








39





$begingroup$

The straightforward answer is, "Yes, we are made of star stuff."



Some of it will be from the interior of collapsing stars, some will be from supernovas, some from normal everyday fusion, and some from other processes.



The answers from @HDE226868 and @RobJeffries on this question on where heavier elements come from gives good background, including this nugget:




The split between r-process and s-process production of heavier than iron (peak) elements is about 50:50. ie They weren't mainly made in supernovae, which is a frequent, incorrect claim.




but of most importance is Rob's final point:




The relative contributions of various sites to the r-process remains an unsettled matter. You could also read my answers on this topic in Physics Stack Exchange.




On following Rob's links I think this provides you with an excellent overall answer (and relative percentages)




A more up-to-date visualisation of what goes on (produced by Jennifer Johnson) and which attempts to identify the sites (as a percentage) for each chemical element is shown below. It should be stressed that the details are still subject to a lot of model-dependent uncertainty.
enter image description here




Looking at C and N - the majority seems to be from dying low mass stars, and Ca and Fe are from exploding stars, which indicates that Carl is not far off the mark.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



The straightforward answer is, "Yes, we are made of star stuff."



Some of it will be from the interior of collapsing stars, some will be from supernovas, some from normal everyday fusion, and some from other processes.



The answers from @HDE226868 and @RobJeffries on this question on where heavier elements come from gives good background, including this nugget:




The split between r-process and s-process production of heavier than iron (peak) elements is about 50:50. ie They weren't mainly made in supernovae, which is a frequent, incorrect claim.




but of most importance is Rob's final point:




The relative contributions of various sites to the r-process remains an unsettled matter. You could also read my answers on this topic in Physics Stack Exchange.




On following Rob's links I think this provides you with an excellent overall answer (and relative percentages)




A more up-to-date visualisation of what goes on (produced by Jennifer Johnson) and which attempts to identify the sites (as a percentage) for each chemical element is shown below. It should be stressed that the details are still subject to a lot of model-dependent uncertainty.
enter image description here




Looking at C and N - the majority seems to be from dying low mass stars, and Ca and Fe are from exploding stars, which indicates that Carl is not far off the mark.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









Rory AlsopRory Alsop

3,4511333




3,4511333








  • 2




    $begingroup$
    well this will keep me busy, thank you!
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 10




    $begingroup$
    That image is great!
    $endgroup$
    – N. Steinle
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
    $endgroup$
    – Chappo
    7 hours ago














  • 2




    $begingroup$
    well this will keep me busy, thank you!
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 10




    $begingroup$
    That image is great!
    $endgroup$
    – N. Steinle
    2 days ago










  • $begingroup$
    Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
    $endgroup$
    – Chappo
    7 hours ago








2




2




$begingroup$
well this will keep me busy, thank you!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago




$begingroup$
well this will keep me busy, thank you!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago




10




10




$begingroup$
That image is great!
$endgroup$
– N. Steinle
2 days ago




$begingroup$
That image is great!
$endgroup$
– N. Steinle
2 days ago












$begingroup$
Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
$endgroup$
– Chappo
7 hours ago




$begingroup$
Wikipedia has a similar chart based on Johnson's data, but you can hover over an element to see the estimated percentages (as actual numbers) for each kind of nucleosynthesis.
$endgroup$
– Chappo
7 hours ago











18












$begingroup$

Sagan's quote is half-correct. While some of these elements are created during or immediately prior to a supernova of some sort, others are either partially or entirely fused during normal stellar nucleosynthesis. Nitrogen falls into the latter category, whereas calcium and iron have one foot in each. On the whole, though, calling these elements "starstuff" is pretty accurate.



Nitrogen



My answer serves largely to complement Rory's, and to address the issue of nitrogen production in particular, partly since there is some disagreement as to how much high-mass stars produce. It is thought that the majority of nitrogen is produced in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, which includes the subprocess originally known as the CN cycle. The CNO cycle is only dominant in stars more massive than the Sun, partly because the energy generation rate is much more sensitive to temperature than the proton-proton chain (scaling as $epsilonsim T^{20}$, compared to $epsilonsim T^4$), largely because the Coulomb barrier is much higher for the CNO cycle.



Intermediate-mass AGB stars, with masses in the vicinity of $5M_{odot}$, enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen through strong stellar winds (1, 2), and are thought to be the most important contributors to nitrogen synthesis. AGB stars are post-main sequence stars that have ascended the red giant branch and are now large and luminous, undergoing shell burning of helium and hydrogen. Their high mass-loss rates are responsible for the enrichment, and most of this mass loss happens before the planetary nebula phase; therefore, I'd be reluctant to characterize the sources of nitrogen as even dying stars. They're simply old, evolved intermediate-mass stars - still not massive enough to undergo supernovae, but also not true low-mass stars.



In short, the answer to the nitrogen question is no, most nitrogen in the universe was not made from supernova nucleosynthesis, but was indeed made by lower-mass stars, in particular intermediate-mass AGB stars. The contributions of supernovae are, as indicated above, not agreed upon.



Calcium



Calcium can indeed be produced via nucleosynthesis in massive stars, usually via silicon- and oxygen- based pathways that synthesize $^{40}text{Ca}$, a common calcium isotope. Recently, discoveries of calcium-rich supernovae have indicated that those could be substantial contributors to calcium abundances. The characteristics of the progenitors are not yet known; they could be low-mass white dwarfs accreting matter from a companion, compact objects colliding, or higher-mass stars undergoing traditional core collapse supernovae. We don't have enough data to determine what the contribution of these supernovae is to calcium production, although it's being worked on.



Iron



Much of the iron produced by stars is in the form of the isotope $^{56}text{Fe}$, which is one of the end results of silicon burning in the extreme late stages (essentially the last day or so) of a high-mass star's life, as well as in supernovae. $^{56}text{Ni}$ is initially synthesized but decays to $^{56}text{Co}$ and eventually $^{56}text{Fe}$.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
    $endgroup$
    – HDE 226868
    2 days ago
















18












$begingroup$

Sagan's quote is half-correct. While some of these elements are created during or immediately prior to a supernova of some sort, others are either partially or entirely fused during normal stellar nucleosynthesis. Nitrogen falls into the latter category, whereas calcium and iron have one foot in each. On the whole, though, calling these elements "starstuff" is pretty accurate.



Nitrogen



My answer serves largely to complement Rory's, and to address the issue of nitrogen production in particular, partly since there is some disagreement as to how much high-mass stars produce. It is thought that the majority of nitrogen is produced in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, which includes the subprocess originally known as the CN cycle. The CNO cycle is only dominant in stars more massive than the Sun, partly because the energy generation rate is much more sensitive to temperature than the proton-proton chain (scaling as $epsilonsim T^{20}$, compared to $epsilonsim T^4$), largely because the Coulomb barrier is much higher for the CNO cycle.



Intermediate-mass AGB stars, with masses in the vicinity of $5M_{odot}$, enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen through strong stellar winds (1, 2), and are thought to be the most important contributors to nitrogen synthesis. AGB stars are post-main sequence stars that have ascended the red giant branch and are now large and luminous, undergoing shell burning of helium and hydrogen. Their high mass-loss rates are responsible for the enrichment, and most of this mass loss happens before the planetary nebula phase; therefore, I'd be reluctant to characterize the sources of nitrogen as even dying stars. They're simply old, evolved intermediate-mass stars - still not massive enough to undergo supernovae, but also not true low-mass stars.



In short, the answer to the nitrogen question is no, most nitrogen in the universe was not made from supernova nucleosynthesis, but was indeed made by lower-mass stars, in particular intermediate-mass AGB stars. The contributions of supernovae are, as indicated above, not agreed upon.



Calcium



Calcium can indeed be produced via nucleosynthesis in massive stars, usually via silicon- and oxygen- based pathways that synthesize $^{40}text{Ca}$, a common calcium isotope. Recently, discoveries of calcium-rich supernovae have indicated that those could be substantial contributors to calcium abundances. The characteristics of the progenitors are not yet known; they could be low-mass white dwarfs accreting matter from a companion, compact objects colliding, or higher-mass stars undergoing traditional core collapse supernovae. We don't have enough data to determine what the contribution of these supernovae is to calcium production, although it's being worked on.



Iron



Much of the iron produced by stars is in the form of the isotope $^{56}text{Fe}$, which is one of the end results of silicon burning in the extreme late stages (essentially the last day or so) of a high-mass star's life, as well as in supernovae. $^{56}text{Ni}$ is initially synthesized but decays to $^{56}text{Co}$ and eventually $^{56}text{Fe}$.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
    $endgroup$
    – HDE 226868
    2 days ago














18












18








18





$begingroup$

Sagan's quote is half-correct. While some of these elements are created during or immediately prior to a supernova of some sort, others are either partially or entirely fused during normal stellar nucleosynthesis. Nitrogen falls into the latter category, whereas calcium and iron have one foot in each. On the whole, though, calling these elements "starstuff" is pretty accurate.



Nitrogen



My answer serves largely to complement Rory's, and to address the issue of nitrogen production in particular, partly since there is some disagreement as to how much high-mass stars produce. It is thought that the majority of nitrogen is produced in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, which includes the subprocess originally known as the CN cycle. The CNO cycle is only dominant in stars more massive than the Sun, partly because the energy generation rate is much more sensitive to temperature than the proton-proton chain (scaling as $epsilonsim T^{20}$, compared to $epsilonsim T^4$), largely because the Coulomb barrier is much higher for the CNO cycle.



Intermediate-mass AGB stars, with masses in the vicinity of $5M_{odot}$, enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen through strong stellar winds (1, 2), and are thought to be the most important contributors to nitrogen synthesis. AGB stars are post-main sequence stars that have ascended the red giant branch and are now large and luminous, undergoing shell burning of helium and hydrogen. Their high mass-loss rates are responsible for the enrichment, and most of this mass loss happens before the planetary nebula phase; therefore, I'd be reluctant to characterize the sources of nitrogen as even dying stars. They're simply old, evolved intermediate-mass stars - still not massive enough to undergo supernovae, but also not true low-mass stars.



In short, the answer to the nitrogen question is no, most nitrogen in the universe was not made from supernova nucleosynthesis, but was indeed made by lower-mass stars, in particular intermediate-mass AGB stars. The contributions of supernovae are, as indicated above, not agreed upon.



Calcium



Calcium can indeed be produced via nucleosynthesis in massive stars, usually via silicon- and oxygen- based pathways that synthesize $^{40}text{Ca}$, a common calcium isotope. Recently, discoveries of calcium-rich supernovae have indicated that those could be substantial contributors to calcium abundances. The characteristics of the progenitors are not yet known; they could be low-mass white dwarfs accreting matter from a companion, compact objects colliding, or higher-mass stars undergoing traditional core collapse supernovae. We don't have enough data to determine what the contribution of these supernovae is to calcium production, although it's being worked on.



Iron



Much of the iron produced by stars is in the form of the isotope $^{56}text{Fe}$, which is one of the end results of silicon burning in the extreme late stages (essentially the last day or so) of a high-mass star's life, as well as in supernovae. $^{56}text{Ni}$ is initially synthesized but decays to $^{56}text{Co}$ and eventually $^{56}text{Fe}$.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



Sagan's quote is half-correct. While some of these elements are created during or immediately prior to a supernova of some sort, others are either partially or entirely fused during normal stellar nucleosynthesis. Nitrogen falls into the latter category, whereas calcium and iron have one foot in each. On the whole, though, calling these elements "starstuff" is pretty accurate.



Nitrogen



My answer serves largely to complement Rory's, and to address the issue of nitrogen production in particular, partly since there is some disagreement as to how much high-mass stars produce. It is thought that the majority of nitrogen is produced in the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, which includes the subprocess originally known as the CN cycle. The CNO cycle is only dominant in stars more massive than the Sun, partly because the energy generation rate is much more sensitive to temperature than the proton-proton chain (scaling as $epsilonsim T^{20}$, compared to $epsilonsim T^4$), largely because the Coulomb barrier is much higher for the CNO cycle.



Intermediate-mass AGB stars, with masses in the vicinity of $5M_{odot}$, enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen through strong stellar winds (1, 2), and are thought to be the most important contributors to nitrogen synthesis. AGB stars are post-main sequence stars that have ascended the red giant branch and are now large and luminous, undergoing shell burning of helium and hydrogen. Their high mass-loss rates are responsible for the enrichment, and most of this mass loss happens before the planetary nebula phase; therefore, I'd be reluctant to characterize the sources of nitrogen as even dying stars. They're simply old, evolved intermediate-mass stars - still not massive enough to undergo supernovae, but also not true low-mass stars.



In short, the answer to the nitrogen question is no, most nitrogen in the universe was not made from supernova nucleosynthesis, but was indeed made by lower-mass stars, in particular intermediate-mass AGB stars. The contributions of supernovae are, as indicated above, not agreed upon.



Calcium



Calcium can indeed be produced via nucleosynthesis in massive stars, usually via silicon- and oxygen- based pathways that synthesize $^{40}text{Ca}$, a common calcium isotope. Recently, discoveries of calcium-rich supernovae have indicated that those could be substantial contributors to calcium abundances. The characteristics of the progenitors are not yet known; they could be low-mass white dwarfs accreting matter from a companion, compact objects colliding, or higher-mass stars undergoing traditional core collapse supernovae. We don't have enough data to determine what the contribution of these supernovae is to calcium production, although it's being worked on.



Iron



Much of the iron produced by stars is in the form of the isotope $^{56}text{Fe}$, which is one of the end results of silicon burning in the extreme late stages (essentially the last day or so) of a high-mass star's life, as well as in supernovae. $^{56}text{Ni}$ is initially synthesized but decays to $^{56}text{Co}$ and eventually $^{56}text{Fe}$.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 2 days ago

























answered 2 days ago









HDE 226868HDE 226868

19.5k264121




19.5k264121












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
    $endgroup$
    – HDE 226868
    2 days ago


















  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
    $endgroup$
    – HDE 226868
    2 days ago
















$begingroup$
Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago




$begingroup$
Thanks for the elaborations. Roughly speaking, is the $~T^20$ vs $~T^4$ mostly due to the higher coulomb barrier?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
2 days ago




1




1




$begingroup$
@uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
$endgroup$
– HDE 226868
2 days ago




$begingroup$
@uhoh Yes; in the end, the CNO cycle is rate-limited by the high Coulomb barrier, and therefore has a higher temperature dependence.
$endgroup$
– HDE 226868
2 days ago


















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