DAY -1 QUANTUM CHALLENGE 30.

Dr. Natalie Hinkel, a planetary astrophysicist, discusses her field of study, which includes stars near the Sun and planets' interactions.

The term "planetary scientist" originally referred to those studying planets within our solar system but expanded with the discovery of exoplanets.

Stars are crucial in the creation of elements through fusion, contributing to the formation of our solar system's elements, including those essential for life.

Humanity is composed of elements created in stars, highlighting our cosmic origins, and our existence is a result of a series of improbable events.

Observing the vastness of outer space can provide a unique perspective, making individuals feel empowered and inspired by the universe's beauty and complexity.

The Big Bang theory revolutionized our understanding of the universe's origin, replacing the notion of an infinite and ageless universe.

Edwin Hubble's discovery of galaxies moving apart and the accidental discovery of cosmic background radiation solidified the Big Bang theory's acceptance in science.

The Big Bang was not an explosion but rather the rapid expansion of all space simultaneously, without an external boundary.

In the early universe, energy transformed into particles like quarks and gluons, eventually leading to the dominance of matter over antimatter.

The universe's evolution included the formation of protons, neutrons, hydrogen atoms, and eventually stars and galaxies, with many questions remaining about the precise nature of the initial moments of the Big Bang.

Atoms are composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons, and they make up everything in the universe.

The formation of atoms can be traced back to the Big Bang, which initiated the universe's expansion.

Prior to the Big Bang, there is uncertainty, and theories become unreliable near the singularity.

The universe went through various stages, including inflation, electroweak symmetry breaking, and the quark epoch.

The first atoms, primarily hydrogen and helium, formed during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis, setting the stage for the creation of more complex elements essential for life.

Quantum mechanics explains the arrangement of elements in the periodic table based on the way electrons are arranged around the nucleus of atoms.

Electrons in atoms occupy electron shells, which are described by quantum numbers such as n, l, and m.

The Schrödinger equation is a fundamental equation in quantum mechanics that accurately describes the behavior of electrons in atoms.

The periodic table's structure and organization can be predicted by solving the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom.

The Pauli exclusion principle and electron spin explain why there are multiple electrons in each orbital, leading to the observed structure of the periodic table.