Shortly after the beginning of the universe, there were only 3 elements: hydrogen, helium, and lithium. After that, close to 100 heavy elements were created from the inside of stars and supernovae, including carbon, oxygen, iron, and gold. Since then, the universe evolved into its current diverse state including planets and lifeforms. By observing supernova remnants which are the main birth places of heavy elements, and galaxy cluster plasma which have high concentrations of heavy elements, measurements of X-ray strengths of various heavy elements including rare metals such as chromium and manganese can be made which will allow a better understanding of where, when, and how much of these elements were created.
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