Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Unit 3 Overview: Stars & Elements

Unit 3 Overview: Stars & Elements

How do stars form and what happens when they die? Rachel’s back to tell us all about how the Universe got a lot more complex.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Think about the following questions as you watch the video


  1. What is a supernova?
  2. How do ancient historical texts, such as <em>The Book of the Later Han</em>, help scientists today understand astronomical phenomena like supernovae?
  3. How did modern astronomers confirm that the “guest star” recorded by Chinese astronomers was in fact a supernova?
  4. What is interdisciplinarity (interdisciplinary thinking) and why is it important in the Big History course?
  5. What are the two thresholds for this unit?
  6. How do stars “light up”?
  7. How do dying stars create the building blocks for life?