Which of the following best explain the difference between the heavy-element abundances seen in the first stars and those seen in stars that we observe today?
A) Stars today have more heavy elements, because modern stars have higher masses, allowing them to create more heavy elements through nuclear fusion.
B) Stars today have more heavy elements, because the gas that formed the current stars was enriched by the higher mass elements that were formed in the first stars.
C) Stars today have a fewer heavy elements, because they have been around long enough to use up the larger mass atoms.
D) Stars today have a smaller abundance of heavy elements because they haven't been around long enough to make as many of the larger atoms.
E) The stars that astronomers observe now are the first generation of stars.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The heavy elements seen in stars today were formed from the gas that was enriched by the higher mass elements that were formed in the first stars. This process is known as nucleosynthesis, where heavy elements are created during the explosion of a supernova. The first stars did not have enough time to create as many heavy elements as later generations of stars did, but those heavy elements were released into the interstellar medium and incorporated into the gas that formed subsequent stars.

Which of the Following Best Explain the Difference Between the Heavy-Element