THE STORY OF STARDUST (ATOMS) PART 1

Peter R. Solomon

We are made of Stardust

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We are made of Stardust

that was once in the bodies

of Albert Einstein.

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We are made of Stardust

that was once in the bodies

of Albert Einstein.

That’s Me.

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We are made of Stardust

that was once in the bodies

of Albert Einstein.

That’s Me.

and the last

T-Rex.

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that was once in the bodies

of Albert Einstein.

That’s Me.

and the last

T-Rex.

That’s Me.

We are made of Stardust

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Me, too.

I’m so outta here.

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We are the Cosmic Explorer Kids.

And we are going to tell the Stardust Story.

We can time-travel

in our time, space, and size-change travel ship.

and change size

JOHARI

JACKSON

RICHIE

LIZZY

NEDDY

MILO

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We named our ship the COSMIC EGG.

The COSMIC EGG was the original name for the Big Bang.

So, kids, what is this story about?

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And how all physical things are made of atoms.

And how Atoms have been shared By plants and animals during the history of Planet Earth.

It’s about how Atoms were created during the evolution of the Universe.

The story is about Atoms. That’s what Stardust is.

And that includes you and me.

It’s about the properties of ATOMS: Kinds, sizes, numbers, and arrangements.

You can get a quick summary in our video.

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WATCH THE VIDEO

6.8 MIN

13.8 BILLION YEAR HISTORY OF STARDUST (ATOMS)

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SHIP SIZE: NORMAL

The story begins when the Universe started at the Big Bang.

THE BIG BANG

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13.8 BILLION YEAR HISTORY OF STARDUST (ATOMS)

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THE BIG BANG

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The story begins when the Universe started at the Big Bang.

That was 13.8 billion years ago.

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SHIP SIZE:

QUARKS AND ELECTRONS APPEAR

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The Quarks are 1 quadrillion times smaller than sand grains. So, we changed our ship size so we could see them.

In just one second after the Big Bang, Quarks and Electrons were formed.

0.0000000000000001 METER

13.8 BILLION

That is what our atoms, our Stardust, is made from.

We had to advance time by 400 thousand years for the Universe to get cool enough for atoms to form.

They were just the smallest atoms: hydrogen and helium, with a little bit of lithium and beryllium.

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ATOMS OF HELIUM & HYDROGEN FORM

400,000 YEARS

13.8 BILLION

And atoms are 6 million times smaller than sand grains.

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ATOMS OF HELIUM & HYDROGEN FORM

400,000 YEARS

0.0000000001 meter

13.8 BILLION

We are going to build the first atoms in the Universe.

Watch the 5.8-minute video

BUILDING THE FIRST ATOMS IN THE UNIVERSE

First, we assemble quarks to make protons and neutrons. Then we add electrons to make atoms.

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ATOMS OF HELIUM & HYDROGEN FORM

400,000 YEARS

0.0000000001 METER

13.8 BILLION

So, the hydrogen atoms in me were made just after the big bang. What about my bigger atoms?

I think we have to keep going forward in time to find out.

It is now 100 million years later, and stars are forming from the hydrogen and helium atoms.

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cosmic dawn when the first stars form

13.7 BILLION

100,000,000 YEARS

STAR SIZE

In the stars, two heavy hydrogen atoms join to form helium atoms. That releases energy and light to make the stars shine.

The time when the starlight appeared is called the Cosmic Dawn.

The joining, or fusing, of the hydrogen atoms is called nuclear fusion.

A star dies when all of its hydrogen has been consumed and it can explode in a Supernova that can be seen from Earth for many months as a very bright star.

We went forward another 100 million years and the stars started exploding.

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star supernova explosions

13.6 BILLION

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STAR SIZE

Bigger atoms were formed by nuclear fusion in the supernova explosions.

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star supernova explosions

13.6 BILLION

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make atoms

Ok, now we know how and when the carbon, oxygen and nitrogen atoms in our bodies were formed.

I listed all the atoms that were formed on a table. It is called a Periodic Table

Oh, Yeah, Cool. Now, what about bigger atoms?

Duh. That is why ATOMS are called STARDUST. They are the DUST made by exploding stars.

Look Jackson, new stars are forming.

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2^nd-generation stars are forming

13.6 BILLION

200,000,000+ YEARS

STAR SIZE

Right, Johari. They are 2^nd-generation stars forming from the 1^st-generation star’s Stardust. And new galaxies are forming, too.

• 13.8 billion years ago -The Big Bang -

• 1 sec after the Big Bang – Quarks & Electrons appear

• 400,000 years after - Atoms of Hydrogen & Helium appear

• 200 million years – 1^st-Generation Star supernovas & small atoms

• 100 million years after - Cosmic Dawn & the first stars appear

TIMELINE FOR THE STORY OF STARDUST (ATOMS)

BILLION YRS

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NOW 13.8 BILLION YRS

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• 200 million+ years- 2^nd-Generation Stars form from 1^st-Gen Stardust

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