Rutgers University Physics/Astronomy Irons Lecture

The astronomer Carl Sagan once said “We are made of stardust.” What exactly did he mean? And how, in fact, did we come to be in the Universe? Today, we will take a journey from the Big Bang to the present to answer these questions. Of course, many things happened since the Big Bang in order for life as we know it to be possible, and to arise, but chief among them is the death of massive stars. We now know that we owe our existence to a circle of life that took place on the cosmic stage, from stellar death, to the creation of the elements, the building blocks of life, to…us. The Universe has written a truly magnificent story, one that I look forward to sharing with you today.