[RightWhale]

Everywhere we look we see material ejected from exploded stars. Instances where such material is condensing to form new stars seem rare by comparison. They say the material that makes earth has been processed through stars several times, but if the Milky Way is 15 billion years old, has there been time for this to happen frequently? A few instances [100 or so observed within 200 or so lightyears of the sun and heavy elements such as iron still not seen in earthsized quantities] seems possible, not 30 billion solar systems as an earlier thread discussed.