PBS Space Time

The Alchemy of Neutron Star Collisions

Carl Sagan’s famous words: “We are star stuff” refers to a mind-blowing idea – that most atomic nuclei in our bodies were created in the nuclear furnace and the explosive deaths of stars that lived in the ancient universe. Many heavy elements - includes most precious metals - were produced in an even more spectacular event: the collision of neutron stars.

The Alchemy of Neutron Star Collisions

11m 24s

Carl Sagan’s famous words: “We are star stuff” refers to a mind-blowing idea – that most atomic nuclei in our bodies were created in the nuclear furnace and the explosive deaths of stars that lived in the ancient universe. Many heavy elements - includes most precious metals - were produced in an even more spectacular event: the collision of neutron stars.

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