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Aizen
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Is Iron the heaviest element a star will fuse through nuclear fusion or will it continue to Iron into a heavier element.
Nickel 56 decays into cobalt, then iron.Drakkith said:I was under the impression that the highest mass element produced in large quantities was nickel-56. However, I keep finding conflicting information from various sources. Some say iron is the highest and some say nickel. I haven't yet found a good source that explains things in any real detail. I'll let you know if I do.
PAllen said:Nickel 56 decays into cobalt, then iron.
Going on that notion what woudl the chronological order to element fusion be? (i.e. Hydrogen to Helium, Helium to Carbon etc.)PAllen said:Nickel 56 decays into cobalt, then iron.
The half lives are both relatively short ( < 7 days, < 80 days). Whether energy/density conditions in a stellar core modify this, I am not sure. Since iron-56 makes up a large majority of planetary iron, I assume most comes from decay of nickel 56 produced in stars.Drakkith said:True, but does nickel have time to do so in the core of a star?
The star kills itself when it creates iron, after which it creates many of the heavier elements when it goes supernova; search up 'r-process'.Aizen said:Is Iron the heaviest element a star will fuse through nuclear fusion or will it continue to Iron into a heavier element.
PAllen said:The half lives are both relatively short ( < 7 days, < 80 days). Whether energy/density conditions in a stellar core modify this, I am not sure. Since iron-56 makes up a large majority of planetary iron, I assume most comes from decay of nickel 56 produced in stars.
The heaviest element that a star can fuse is iron.
The mass of a star determines the heaviest element it can fuse. The more massive a star is, the higher the temperatures and pressures at its core, allowing for heavier elements to fuse.
Fusion is the process of two or more atomic nuclei combining to form a heavier nucleus. In stars, this process occurs due to high temperatures and pressures in the core, causing hydrogen atoms to fuse together and form heavier elements.
When a star fuses iron, it is no longer able to generate energy and begins to collapse. This collapse can lead to a supernova explosion.
Yes, in rare cases, stars with extremely high masses can fuse elements heavier than iron, such as uranium. However, these stars are short-lived and eventually explode in a supernova.