Nasa daily picture for November 21: Exploding Stars Make Key Ingredient Found in Glass

We are all, quite literally, made of star dust. Many of the chemicals that compose our planet and our bodies were formed directly by stars. Now, a new study using observations by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reports for the first time that silica — one of the most common minerals found on Earth — is formed when massive stars explode.

Look around you right now and there's a good chance you will see silica (silicon dioxide, SiO₂) in some form. A major component of many types of rocks on Earth, silica is used in industrial sand-and-gravel mixtures to make concrete for sidewalks, roads and buildings. One form of silica, quartz, is a major component of sand found on beaches along the U.S. coasts. Silica is a key ingredient in glass, including plate glass for windows, as well as fiberglass. Most of the silicon used in electronic devices comes from silica.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/CXC/ESA/NRAO/J. Rho (SETI Institute)

Source: www.nasa.gov