WHAT DID STARS GIVE US?

Stars begin to light up all over the Universe. They’re not light forever though. Eventually, they will run out of
fuel. When small stars run out of fuel, they just fizzle out. Imagine a campfire when there’s no more wood to
burn. Bigger, denser stars burn hotter. When they run out of fuel, there are massive explosions that result in
new chemical elements.

Summary

Iron, gold, copper, and nickel can be created only in the incredible heat of massive stars, or in the dynamic
explosion that happens as they die. These elements play an important role in the daily lives of many people.
As we continue the story, we’ll learn more about the properties of these elements.

THINKING CONCEPTUALLY

How does the fact that valuable

resources like copper and gold
can only be formed in the death
of stars influence the way we
think about these elements
today?

What Did Stars Give Us? (9:10 minutes)

https://www.oerproject.com/OER-Media/Videos/SBH/Unit-3/3-1-Creation-of-Complex-Elements/What-Stars-
Give-Us?PageId=&Id=8584&share=link

Purpose

In the death of a star, incredibly high temperatures result in the formation of every element of the periodic
table. These elements, floating in space in the aftermath, eventually find their way into new stars, planets, and
all of the life here on Earth.

Process

Preview

It takes a lot of heat to fuse together two atoms. The larger the atom, the more heat is required. While stars are
incredibly hot, they are nowhere near hot enough to form anything more than a few basic atoms. Once a star
runs out of fuel, it will either fizzle out or explode. These explosions generate staggering temperatures, hotter
than the star itself. In a few seconds, all of the elements of the periodic table are created.

Key Ideas—Factual

Use these questions and prompts at the appropriate stopping points to check in with the students and ensure
they are getting the key concepts covered in the video.

1. 2:33 When you add heat (or energy) to a pot of cold water, what happens? Does the pot stay still?
What does this tell us about when we add energy to hydrogen atoms?
answer: Heat is energy. When you add energy to a pot of water, or to a group of atoms, some of the
energy is converted into motion or kinetic energy.

2. 3:52 Why do some stars simply fade away, while others eventually start fusing helium into carbon?
answer: It depends on the size of the star. Small stars, without much in the way of fuel, will simply burn
out. Larger stars that generate enough helium will start burning helium when the hydrogen fuel runs
out.

3. 5:19 Will all stars eventually be able to generate iron?

answer: Only very large stars will end up forming iron.

4. 7:27 Do elements only exist in large amounts on Earth?

answer: Many elements on Earth exist in very small amounts. For example, all of the gold in the world
would create a cube about 66 feet high, about the size of a small office building.
Is it in there?
If you want to get a real sense of the connection between our daily lives and the dying stars, you don’t
need to look very far. Chemical elements formed in the dramatic explosions of dying stars are essential to
products and systems we use every day.