What is Stellar Nucleosynthesis?
Stellar nucleosynthesis is the process whereby most of the elements on the Periodic Table are created. Nucleosynthesis means means the synthesis of new elements from the nucleons (protons and neutrons) of lighter elements. The outcome of the Big Bang at the start of the universe was a cosmic makeup of approximately 80% hydrogen gas and 20% helium. This process is called the Big Bang nucleosynthesis, or occasionally, the primordial nucleosynthesis, and it took about three minutes. Other types of nucleosynthesis include stellar nucleosynthesis, which takes place in stars over billions of years, and supernova nucleosynthesis, which happens in a matter of seconds. The gas coalesced into stars, which fuse atomic nuclei, producing tremendous amounts of light and heat and producing heavier elements in the process. In stars about the mass of the Sun or smaller, energy is primarily produced using the proton-proton chain reaction. The proton-proton chain reaction takes place in temperatures betw
