Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 September 14 [2]A chart is shown which a version of the periodic table of the elements. Each element has a thumbnail image that indicates how it was first created in the universe. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Where Your Elements Came From Image Credit: [3]NASA's [4]GSFC, [5]SVS Explanation: The hydrogen in your body and present in every molecule of water came from the [6]Big Bang. There are no other [7]appreciable sources of [8]hydrogen in the universe. The [9]carbon in your body was made by [10]nuclear fusion in the interior of stars, as was the [11]oxygen. Much of the iron in your body was made during [12]supernovas of stars that occurred long ago and far away. The [13]gold in your jewelry was likely made from neutron stars during collisions that may have been visible as short-duration [14]gamma-ray bursts or [15]gravitational wave events. Elements like phosphorus and copper are [16]present in our bodies in only small amounts but are essential to the functioning of all known [17]life. The [18]featured periodic table is [19]color coded to indicate [20]humanity's best guess as to the [21]nuclear origin of all known elements. The sites of [22]nuclear creation of some [23]elements, such as [24]copper, are not really well known and are continuing topics of observational and computational research. APOD's main NASA site is [25]moving: From [26]apod.nasa.gov to [27]science.nasa.gov/apod Tomorrow's picture: Sun triple __________________________________________________________________ [28]< | [29]Archive | [30]Submissions | [31]Index | [32]Search | [33]Calendar | [34]RSS | [35]Education | [36]About APOD | [37]Discuss | [38]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [39]Robert Nemiroff ([40]MTU) & [41]Jerry Bonnell ([42]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [43]Specific rights apply. [44]NASA Web Privacy, [45]Accessibility, [46]Notices; A service of: [47]ASD at [48]NASA / [49]GSFC, [50]NASA Science Activation & [51]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2609/ElementOrigins2_svs_6000.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/ 5. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 6. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/the-big-bang/ 7. http://www.sciencealert.com/lhc-produces-primordial-soup-of-the-universe-using-less-particles-than-thought-possible 8. https://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon#Formation_in_stars 10. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/documents/845/SNNuclearFusion.pdf 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen#Isotopes_and_stellar_origin 12. https://youtu.be/wymMn-SmALY 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171015.html 14. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14738/ 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171016.html 16. https://www.planetary.org/articles/were-made-of-starstuff-what-does-that-mean 17. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2013/04/01/phosphorus-essential-to-life-are-we-running-out/ 18. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13873/ 19. https://unsplash.com/photos/fluffy-calico-cat-with-yellow-eyes--vcg9-w_yMk 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190818.html 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleosynthesis 22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EpcUohHees 23. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/periodic-table/ 24. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016A&A...585A.102Y/abstract 25. https://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=45023 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/ 27. https://science.nasa.gov/apod 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260913.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 34. https://apod.com/feed.rss 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 37. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260914 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260915.html 39. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 40. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 41. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 42. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 43. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 44. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 45. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 46. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 47. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 48. https://www.nasa.gov/ 49. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 50. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 51. http://www.mtu.edu/