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How Old Are Our Atoms – How Many Stars Made Them?
Is there any way to estimate how long ago the atoms in our solar
system were made and how many generations of stars came before ours? I'm asking here about atoms like Carbon. The carbon in our solar system, in our planet, and in our bodies was made in stars like our own. Right? Is there any way to make even a broad ballpark estimate of how long ago this carbon was made and by how many stars? One of the reasons I started thinking about this was that I read somewhere that a star like our Sun has a lifespan of nearly 10 billion years. That's more than 50% of the age of the Universe. So what I'm getting at is that it doesn't seem like there could have been very many generations of stars before our own began to form. Yet we have a real abundance of elements here. I'm having trouble understanding how so many atoms were made so relatively fast. Now, I understand that larger stars burn out more quickly and that the first stars in the universe would have truly enormous. That helps a bit. But on the other hand, some elements like for example Florine and Platinum are not made by any kind of star, but by really exotic processes like the collision of two neutron stars. So, getting back to the question. About how long ago were the atoms we see today made? Is there any way to estimate such a thing? Maybe the opposite question is easier to answer. About how long after Betelgeuse goes supernova will the atoms it has made find their way into new solar systems? |
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