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Astronomy

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    $\begingroup$ Related: Origin of water on Earth $\endgroup$
    – Klaus Warzecha
    Commented Mar 13, 2017 at 15:31
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    $\begingroup$ Old dying stars are able to fuse elements up to iron in the stellar core. The "gas and dust" you refer to contains oxygen. Hydrogen is very plentiful. Mix and combine. $\endgroup$
    – Zhe
    Commented Mar 13, 2017 at 15:49
  • $\begingroup$ This might get you started: space.com/16943-supernova-explosion-solar-system-formation.html Elements like Oxygen, Silicon, Iron are all formed in a supernova. As I understand it, chemistry happens too, on a limited scale, within the nebula, so you have basic building blocks. Silicates like SO2, Ices/gases like H20 and CO2, but I'll let someone smarter than me give a more complete answer. Solarsystems don't form out of hydrogen easily because it's too light, it takes a certain amount of heavier elements. $\endgroup$
    – userLTK
    Commented Mar 14, 2017 at 0:24
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    $\begingroup$ @userLTK You're wrong about the first part. Oxygen, Silicon, Iron, are all formed during a star's normal lifecycle, not a supernova. Any element iron or below can be formed during a star's normal lifecycle. A supernova causes the formation of any element Uranium or below (so basically all of them). $\endgroup$
    – Aaron Franke
    Commented Mar 14, 2017 at 1:53
  • $\begingroup$ @AaronFranke You're right about that, though those elements spread across the galaxy and became part of new solar system formation from the supernova explosion. My bad. $\endgroup$
    – userLTK
    Commented Mar 14, 2017 at 2:22