Jongjin Park
Stars that twinkle in the night sky are sometimes classified by their brightness grades, but ultimately their weights change because of their mass. The heavier the star, the sooner it will end. Because of the gravitational force coming from the mass, active nuclear fusion occurs.
Stars that weigh regarding five times more than our Sun die in a supernova explosion. A supernova causes an explosion on the scale of the galaxy it belongs to, and its power is so great that it synthesizes even the heaviest element in nature, uranium, and meets its end.
Hydrogen with atomic number 1 was created during the Big Bang. Helium 2 was formed shortly following the Big Bang when the temperature and pressure of the universe were still high, and that was the end of it. Hydrogen spread widely in the universe gathered to form stars, and as the star, which gave off light and heat through nuclear fusion, depleted hydrogen, the raw material, made iron with atomic number 26 and ended its life. Scientists have never wondered what the heavier elements look like there was.
However, it was discovered that a very massive star caused a huge explosion on the scale of a galaxy at the end and scattered its remnants into every corner of the universe, and such a star was called a supernova.
In a galaxy regarding the size of our own Milky Way, there is a supernova explosion regarding once every 100 years. . Kepler, who was an astronomer at the time, observed and studied it, so it was given the name Kepler supernova, and there are records of it in Korea, China, and Arab countries. In the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, there is a record of Gaekseong that suddenly appeared four days earlier than Kepler observed. He saw the Kepler supernova.
The fragments of the stars that spread throughout the universe gathered to form new stars, planets orbiting around the stars, and satellites orbiting the planets. Stars were formed in the empty universe, and those stars gathered to form galaxies. Thus, a galaxy called the Milky Way was formed in a corner of the universe, and a star called the Sun was born outside the Milky Way.
The sun has a total of eight planets, and the third planet orbits the Earth. Usually, the center of the galaxy is active and the lifespan of stars is short, but the sun located on the edge of the Milky Way has enough time for life to be born on our planet and evolve into highly intelligent life forms. It’s regarding us humans.
If we go back in time to find out where the 92 basic elements that make up all things, including our body, came from, we will eventually reach a supernova. So someone said we are descendants of supernovae. That’s right.
There is a painting that Gauguin, a Post-Impressionist painter, painted on the island of Tahiti shortly before his death. ‘Where are we from, what are we, and where are we going?’ is a masterpiece with a rather long name. Humanity has always thought regarding our origins, the meaning of existence, and the future. Surprisingly, the answer lies in the night sky.
We live on an Earth orbiting a star, the Sun, which rises from the remnants of a dying star and floats on the fringes of galaxies. When we die, we are separated into the 92 basic elements of the universe, wandering in outer space, and one day they become stars and planets once more. They are descendants of a supernova that becomes life once more. More precisely, it is the recycling of space nuclear waste. (Writer)
Jongjin Park
