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There are Calcium-rich supernovae but here I'm asking about stars that one might see in the night sky.

I'd like to ask if there are any naked-eye (or binocular-assisted) visible stars in our Milky Way that are particularly rich in calcium?

Asking this question for a hypothesis I am developing, but that's outside the scope of this question.

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    $\begingroup$ You mean just Ca but not other metals? $\endgroup$
    – ProfRob
    Commented Jan 2, 2022 at 10:08
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    $\begingroup$ Although there are certainly local variations in the composition of the galaxy, the basic ingredients are fairly well mixed. See astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/16313/16685 $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Commented Jan 2, 2022 at 15:31
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    $\begingroup$ I don't understand the drive-by pile-on down-voting on a new user's first question. It's unnecessary, unhelpful and very unwelcoming. Give the OP time to improve their question! You want how to ask a good SE question to be what new users learn first, not "this site is unwelcoming"! $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 0:11
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    $\begingroup$ I'm trying to say something to the effect that are there stars richer in calcium as compared to other stars...is our sun, for example, richer in calcium as compared to most other stars... $\endgroup$
    – dnatech
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 11:15
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    $\begingroup$ Yes, I don't fully understand this format of placing questions. $\endgroup$
    – dnatech
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 11:18

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Stars that are rich in metals tend to be younger stars, and they tend to be richer in all of the elements above Helium. Moreover, you should note that any star is still mostly Hydrogen and Helium. Any other elements are much much less abundant.

When looking at stars, we can see the elements that are in their atmosphere from the spectrum. The star Mu Leonis (it is the top star in the "head" of the lion) has a stellar classification "K2IIIb CN 1 Ca 1", K2 means that this is an orange star, IIIb means that it is a giant star. CN1 Ca1 means that cyanide and calcium are particularly prominent in its spectrum.

Also, there may be Calcium in the core of highly evolved stars, just not for very long. A star that is fusing Argon to Calcium doesn't have long to live ­— about a day. So if the stellar core of Antares is getting very rich in Calcium right now, by tomorrow there will be a supernova.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks....I am also beginning to wonder if the element calcium has a known characteristic whose importance we are overlooking... Something that could be staring at us right in the face, but for certain reasons, such as our bias in investigating carbon elements exclusively for life properties, and side lining other elements...interesting to note calcium denotes an impending supernova...one day, hunh?...I also realize calcium abundance in a star may not translate to an abundance in any planets around that star. I asked a researcher at Dartmouth College about the plumes of Encedalus...no calcium. $\endgroup$
    – dnatech
    Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 6:22
  • $\begingroup$ I put out recently a null hypothesis: Life origins are due to calcium apportionment by organic constructs. I am implying life started before cell walls, before staged reproduction with DNA and RNA, before ingestion or excretion, and before respiration. The organic constructs I believe were primarily proteins, perhaps embedded in phospholipids, or some other immiscible liquid. Calcium was there from the start. All the kingdoms of life on this planet utilize calcium in vital processes. $\endgroup$
    – dnatech
    Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 6:35

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