Cosmology question - where is the cinder?
 

Our sun is a second generation star. It and our solar system coalesced from some of the remains of a first generation star that went supernova.

As I understand it, when a star goes supernova it doesn't completely "blow up". In a supernova much of the star's mass gets blasted away but some of it remains. A "cinder" is left. There are different kinds of "cinders" like black holes, nuetron stars, quasars etc.

My question is that if our sun is a second generation star, where is the "cinder" from the 1st generation star that went supernova and formed all our heavey elements. I would think that "cinder" would be relatively close by(astronomically speaking).

Stu

Re: Cosmology question - where is the cinder?
 

It does not need to be nearby anymore. They have had billions of years to diverge. Also the material which formed our sun does not necessarily have to be from a single remnant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_...iral_structure

Re: Cosmology question - where is the cinder?
 

Slight nit: The sun is at least 3rd generation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallicity

Re: Cosmology question - where is the cinder?
 

It's not necessarily close at all. It's been 5 billion years. Things can travel a long time in 5 billion years.

Also, this is not cosmology.