Question

"We are made of starstuff.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

What did Carl Sagan mean when he made this famous statement? Write about your interpretation of this statement:

• Is it literal or figurative?
  • Make sure you use the proper dictionary definition of "literal" as people often use it to mean the exact opposite! Look it up if you aren't sure!
• Where did the material that Earth is made out of -- the silicon and carbon and iron and so forth -- come from?
• What implications does this have for life on planets around other stars, if there is any?

Answer 1

• The statement that “We are made of starstuff” by Carl Sagan is a literal statement as it exactly means that all of the elements that compose our body are derived from some old and dead star and therefore the statement is not about any metaphor and it exactly mean that we are composed of star’s material.
• The explosion of some star in our galaxy is the cause of the material that compose earth. These type of explosions are known as supernova and it emits huge volume of gas and dust which form planets and other bodies like natural satellites.
• This type of supernova happens around many galaxies and they cause the formation of various solar systems in those galaxies and if by any chance the position of any planet gets into the habitable zone then that planet have all the necessary resources to develop life on it as the material produced by all the supernovae is almost same.