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Basic Elements
Hydrogen is the first element on the Table of Periodic Elements, and helium is second; these two basic elements are the basis of stars. During a star's lifetime, it continually transforms hydrogen into helium. When a star reaches a certain age, the amount of hydrogen runs low, and the star cools. It collapses into its core and eventually becomes faint; at this stage of its life, a star is known as a "white dwarf."
Hydrogen Capture
In a binary or multiple star system, a star that is massive and developed first becomes a white dwarf. The star cools but retains the ability to capture hydrogen from a neighboring star that is still functioning. The captured hydrogen builds up on the surface of the white dwarf until one day it explodes.
Helium Production
After it has captured enough hydrogen, the process of nuclear fusion occurs on the white dwarf, a sudden event that produces the bright light that makes it appear as if a new star has been born. The white dwarf's brightness increases from 100 to 10,000 times in one day until its total brightness factor has multiplied up to 50,000 times. The star expels gas at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers per second, a nuclear fusion reaction that produces helium along with the bright light.
Other Elements
The core of a star can create the elements on the Periodic Table up to number 26, iron; these elements include carbon, oxygen, neon, magnesium and silicon. Any elements produced higher than iron are the result of the creation of a supernova, which is a different occurrence from the process that produces a nova.