News Excerpt:

Stars create elements through nuclear fusion in their cores.

About Nucleosynthesis:

• Stellar nucleosynthesis is the process by which stars forge elements inside their cores through nuclear fusion.
• Hydrogen, the most abundant and lightest element in the universe, is the only element not formed through stellar nucleosynthesis. It was formed in the aftermath of the Big Bang.
• The cores of stars have extremely high pressures and temperatures, such as 
• The Sun's core temperature is about 15 million degrees Celsius. 
• These harsh conditions allow for nuclear fusion of atomic nuclei.
• The hydrogen nucleus consists of a single proton. In the core, these nuclei fuse to form helium nuclei, which contain two protons and two neutrons. This process is known as the proton-proton (p-p) chain.
• More massive stars follow the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle, where the nuclei of these elements come together in different ways to form elements starting from helium.
• As a star runs out of nuclei to fuse, its core contracts, increasing the temperature and triggering further nuclear fusion. This process repeats until the star starts producing iron in its core.
• Iron is the lightest element for which fusion consumes more energy than it releases. 
• Elements heavier than iron can only be synthesized when a star goes supernova, outside of the star itself.