Liam Skinner

Chapter 7: The Cosmos on the Table

This chapter explores the intersection of astrophysics and chemistry, listing various

elements and why they are significant to astronomers. Only three elements- hydrogen, helium.

lithium- have been around since the Big Bang. The rest were all cooked by stars. Some of the

elements I found interesting were helium, which is present as at least 10% of matter in every area

of the known Universe, and iridium, which is a “smoking gun” from the asteroid that made the

dinosaurs extinct. Iridium is rarely found on Earth’s surface except for a thin layer found by

geologists deposited between two prehistoric periods. We think this iridium must have been

deposited by a huge asteroid, made of iridium and other metals, that smashed into Earth and

vaporized, scattering its contents all over the surface.

The chapter raised a question about elements heavier than iron. Stars facilitate nuclear

fusion of elements lighter than iron, which releases energy. But fusion of elements heavier than

iron absorbs energy, so this doesn’t take place in stars. If iron marks the end of the road for

nuclear fusion in stars, how are elements heavier than iron ever created? After some Googling, I

learned that all other elements can only be formed during a supernova. In this stupendous

explosion, a high-mass star releases a tremendous amount of energy which allows heavy

elements to fuse together.