23. How important is the Sun? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Carl Sagan, my favorite scientist and a great popularizer of astronomy and science, once said it best-"We are third generation star stuff!" He meant that two other stars lived their lives and ended their lives by spewing the atoms of creation throughout our solar nebula neighborhood, which helped the local gas cloud to gravitationally collapse and form the star we call the Sun. At one time, the Universe was only hydrogen and helium. All other atoms from carbon to oxygen to silicon and iron were made within the fiery core of ancient stars. Look around you. We are all here because of distant stars that lived and ended their lives. We are indeed "star stuff" and it is no wonder that we are struggling to take the first small steps back into space, to begin the exploration of what was once our home. Think about it. It is truly amazing stuff!

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Answer provided by Jim Zebrowski

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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