See for yourself...
Many of these gorgeous images include massive clouds of matter. These clouds of gas and dust are the result of super-novae, colossal explosions of dying giant stars.
Most of the universe is made of hydrogen and helium, the simplest elements in existence. But the crushing gravity of the final implosion at the end of a giant star's life is what creates heavy elements. It's the only way these complex elements can come into existence. They are then blown into space by the super-nova event, creating the nebula cloud.
The clouds become "star nurseries," because the matter slowly aggregates until there is enough mass and gravity to form other stars. When a star forms, the remaining debris surrounding it aggregates into planets.
This is how our star and the planets in our solar system formed. And why heavy elements exist on Earth. These are the same elements that are essential to life, the same elements we are made of.
We owe our existence to a super-nova that happened billions of years ago. We are made of star-dust.
Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .
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1 comment:
It's a great concept. I read something like this - believe it or not - on the back of a toilet door at my university... makes me feel rather insignificant.
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