What is Explosive Nucleosynthesis?
Explosive nucleosynthesis is the creation of heavy elements which occurs in the heart of a supernova. A supernova is a hugely energetic astronomical event where a supergiant star depletes its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity. The infalling matter bounces against a superdense core, creating an explosion and a shock front which travels away from the core at speeds of up to 2000 km/s. A supernova can outshine its host galaxy, and they have been observed by astronomers since ancient history. Stars obtain their energy through the fusion of atomic nuclei, mainly hydrogen and helium. This is called hydrogen and helium burning. In very massive stars, the burning of these elements creates an “ash” of heavier and heavier elements — carbon, neon, silicon, iron, and nickel — until finally the amount of energy necessary to fuse nuclei exceeds the energy it releases, and the nuclear chain reaction is extinguished. What is left is an iron-nickel core consisting of approximately 1.38 s
