Question

Where and how was most of the helium in the universe created?

1) by nuclear reactions in the cores of stars, and was then thrown out into space by supernovae
2) by the collision of cosmic rays with hydrogen nuclei in interstellar gas clouds
3) by high-energy processes during the collapse of protogalactic clouds during the formation of galaxies
4) by nuclear reactions during the Big Bang

Answer 1

The majority of helium in the universe was created by nuclear reactions during the Big Bang, with an estimated 10 times more helium produced in the first few minutes than by all subsequent generations of stars.

Step-by-step explanation:

Most of the helium in the universe was created by nuclear reactions during the Big Bang. This event, taking place roughly 13.7 billion years ago, involved several key steps. Within the first few minutes of the universe, commonly referred to as Big Bang nucleosynthesis, protons and neutrons combined to form deuterium, which then led to the formation of helium and other light elements like lithium.

The synthesis of helium during the Big Bang accounts for the abundance of helium observed today, which cannot be explained solely by stellar nucleosynthesis within stars. Although stars do produce helium, the quantity created during the Big Bang was significantly greater, estimated to be 10 times more than that produced by all the stars in the subsequent billions of years.