We are Star Dust

Superfact 10 : We Are Star Dust

The matter in our bodies and our planet was formed by fusion in the cores of distant stars and then spread across the Universe by supernova explosions. This matter was later incorporated in second and third generation stars like our sun and its planets.

What do I mean by “We are Star Dust”? Let me explain. The first stars in the Universe were made of 75% hydrogen and 25% helium and trace amounts of Lithium, just like the entire Universe at the time. There were no heavier elements that could form planets or other solid celestial bodies. These early stars tended to be large and heavier elements like carbon, oxygen, and iron were formed by fusion in the cores of these stars.

Many of the first stars, called first generation stars, ended their lives in massive supernova explosions and the dusty remains of these explosions, including the metals formed in their cores, became the building blocks of the stars we see today. These second and third generation stars have planets and other smaller solid objects orbiting them, formed from the gas and dust (star dust) left over from the supernova explosions. So, we are star dust. The atoms formed inside the first-generation stars are now within us.

The first-generation stars consisted of 75% hydrogen and 25% helium and trace amounts of Lithium. A second or third generation star like our sun is still mostly hydrogen and helium but also many other elements. The rocky planets circling the sun are mainly elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Image credit NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI.
Remnants of a recent supernova W49B, 26,000 light years away. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/L.Lopez et al.; Infrared: Palomar; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA.

For those who know astronomy this may be basic information, but I’ve met many people who are unfamiliar with this information, and they are quite often surprised and astonished. That is why I consider this information a super fact. I can add that this process, the birth and death of first-generation stars, the supernova explosions, the disbursal of the matter, which later clump together to form new stars and rocky planets as well, takes many millions of years.

This is an Illustration of a supernova. Stock Vector ID: 2109918599 by Varunyuuu.

A Refresher

For those who need a refresher of things like stars and planets and galaxies. Our sun is a star, a third-generation star. It is much bigger than our Earth. If Earth is the size of a small pea or a caper, then the sun would be the size of a beach ball. However, our sun is not a big star, and it is only one star among between 100 and 400 billion stars in our galaxy the Milky Way.

Many galaxies including our own are disc shaped or look like spirals. If you imagine a dust storm cloud in which there are a thousand dust particles per cubic foot, each representing a star. Then this dust cloud would be 100 to 400 feet thick, and a thousand feet wide and long. I can add that there are between 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies in the visible Universe. Also, the Universe is much bigger than the visible Universe and might be infinitely large.

A glimpse of our milky way galaxy. Photo by Stefan Stefancik on Pexels.com

As mentioned, orbiting around our sun there are planets, dwarf planets, moons, planet rings, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, interplanetary dust, etc. The star closest to the sun is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.24 light-years away, but it is too small to be seen. The stars that are visible in the night sky tend to be large stars that are not too far away.

Here in Dallas where I live you can typically see 15 stars with the naked eye, and you cannot see the Milky Way. That’s because of the light pollution. In northern Sweden where I grew up you could see 3,000 stars, our galaxy the Milky Way, as well as the Andromeda Galaxy on a clear night with the naked eye.

In 1885 a supernova explosion was recorded in the Andromeda Galaxy. Below is a constructed photo showing how it might have looked like if we had had better equipment back then. Notice that the supernova explosion is essentially outshining the entire galaxy. We are the result of the gases and dust spread by such explosions.

Supernova explosion in the center of the Andromeda galaxy “Elements of this image furnished by NASA” It is essentially an enhanced photo of a supernova explosion in a neighboring galaxy. Stock Photo ID: 2495486227 by muratart.

To see the other Super Facts click here

Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

29 thoughts on “We are Star Dust”

  1. I love this expression, “We are Star Dust,” from a more mystical point of view. But it is equally exciting to realize that the mystical resonance actually matches physics. Thank you for sharing these wonderful facts, Thomas! They literally take us into a greater, cosmic awareness! *Light and blessings to you*

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  2. I often find myself marveling at the connection between our distant past and the present.

    So I enjoyed your explanation of how we are made of star dust. To think that the atoms in our bodies were once part of ancient stars brings an extraordinary sense of unity across time and space. The past and the present are not separate; they are interconnected, much like how these celestial bodies have influenced the very elements that shape us.

    Your post reminds me that in history, as in science, we are all part of a grander, cosmic narrative. Thank you for such an insightful and awe-inspiring reminder!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  3. We are stardust, we are golden
    We are billion-year-old carbon

    A portion of the lyrics of the song “Woodstock”. I always liked this phrase.

    I sure enjoyed reading all about this. I like anything about space, stars, universes, etc. I wish we could see the milky way like they show in pictures, but we do see lots of stars here. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. It was a long time since I heard that song. It is a great song. I also anything about space, stars, universes, etc. The milky way in photos is typically enhanced but in northern Sweden where the light pollution is minumum and nights are very dark in winter you can quite often very easily see it (assuming the sky is clear). Thank you soi much for your kind words Barbara.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. This is beautiful. I love that we were formed from star dust.
    It’s cool to know that our planet and the sun were formed from those first star’s supernova. It’s mind bending and magical.
    It’s really quite amazing how we all came to be.
    I saw you wrote this awhile ago and wanted to wait until I could sit down & fully immerse myself in it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Sara. I agree with you. It is mind bending and magical. Our planet and our bodies coming from the inside of stars that then exploded and spread out. BTW I should probably work on making the posts a little bit less long.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. I just love this post, Thomas. How delightful to have the history of the universe inside us. ❤ It amazes me, at times, how some humans think they are separate from nature (including the universe). Everything is entwined, and that’s mindblowing and beautiful.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  11. Here comes the confirmation of “we are star dust” such a simple yet profound post, Thomas! I think our expansive universe is giving rise to more and more celestial bodies. If you come to think how vast and how non ending the universe is, then you’ll realise you’re just a blip in existence. This information not only widens our knowledge about the universe but also shows how interconnected everything is. Thanks for sharing these insightful posts..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much festo_sanjo, I appreciate your kind words, and like you say it is amazing how vast and how non ending the universe is. When a journalist asked the famous astro-physicist Brian Cox what fact about the Universe is the most mind blowing to him he answered the vasteness of our Universe, which at first sounded trivial to me considering the astonishing facts related to black holes, relativity, quantum physics, inflation, etc. But then when you think about it, it is really difficult to wrap your head around the vasteness of the Universe. Our sun and our solar system is enormous, yet it is just like a dust particle in a dust storm, which would we be our galaxy the Milky Way, which in turn is just like a dust particle among the galaxies we can see (among at least hundreds of billions) in the visible Universe, which might in turn be just like a dust particle in the Universe we can’t see, which very well could be infinite, and then of course there might be other universes. The multiverse may have 1000000000000000…. followed by 600 zeros of universes. It’s crazy vast.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. Pingback: Super Fact Page Added to Superfactful – Leonberger Life

Leave a comment