One of the unsung benefits of KITP is its close proximity to the community of Goleta, with its drugstores that sell magic markers. In the spirit of KITP conferences, we decided to help our fellow astrophysicists by providing a simple graphical version of the periodic table, color-coded by the technical names of the stellar processes that we were all discussing.
![periodic table color coded simple periodic table color coded simple](https://fthmb.tqn.com/dNI_AiZDxF9KOTyjhQ81cMAeaFg=/2200x1701/filters:fill(auto,1)/PeriodicTableallcolor-58b5c82c3df78cdcd8bbb80f.png)
It became a stumbling block in the cross- disciplinary discussions that are so important in making progress on big questions. This meant that over 40 elements were appearing on plots during the conference, and if your expertise lay somewhere else, keeping track of which kind of star made which elements was too much to manage. The assembled scientists knew that, if we wanted to understand the Galaxy’s evolution, we couldn’t just concentrate on one element. By measuring the amounts of each element in many stars, we can piece together which and how many of our Galaxy’s stars were born, and when. Each type of star produces different elements, in a characteristic lifespan. Because each element in a star’s atmosphere absorbs light at a characteristic wavelength, we use spectroscopy to infer which elements are present, and their relative abundances. The atmospheres of stars are chemical time-capsules of the gas from the time the star was born. Our research area, studying the chemical compositions of stars of different ages, was well-represented. The conference brought together experts on dark matter, orbital motions, gas dynamics and hydrodynamics, and finding the smallest galaxies around the Milky Way. One such conference was 2008’s “ Back to the Galaxy II,” where astrophysicists interested in understanding the history of the Milky Way gathered at KITP. One of KITP’s goals is to bring together theorists and experimentalists with different expertise to intensively study important issues.
![periodic table color coded simple periodic table color coded simple](https://www.chemistrylearner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Printable-Periodic-Table.jpg)
Photo by Jennifer Johnson and Inese Ivans.Ģ018 version of the evolving periodic table color-coded by the element’s source. The periodic table color-coded by the source of the element in the solar system, hand-drawn at the 2008 “Back to the Galaxy II” conference.