Astro Alchemy: Where Rare Elements Come From

3-Second Blueprint (English)

1. Stellar core fusion halts at iron (26 protons), and extreme temperatures create energetic photons that fragment heavier nuclei.
2. Because proton Coulomb repulsion spans the whole nucleus, heavy elements grow by capturing neutrons that beta-decay into protons.
3. Slow neutron capture happens in stars, while rapid capture occurs in neutron star mergers—backed by JWST tellurium data—and hypernovae.