Nucleosynthesis is used for creating elements more complex than hydrogen

The elements on the periodic table were created by stars through nuclear fusion. We use the term stellar nucleosynthesis to describe what stars are doing through fusion. Stars fuse hydrogen into helium, and then start making heavier elements by a different fusion process. But stars can only make elements up through iron. They can't make the heavier elements. Enter the supernova. A supernova is that "big blast" that occurs at the end of the life of some stars. In a supernova, the trans-iron elements are formed. That is, all the elements heavier than iron are formed in a supernova. Because the elements heavier than iron are formed in a supernova, we can say that there is a relationship between the supernova and the periodic table of elements.

Nucleosynthesis in the early stages of the universe. This created light elements up to Beryllium. The others came from nuclear fission when stars formed, and were distributed by supernova explosions at the end of some of the stars' life. Takes about a billion of years by order of magnitude.

In nucleosynthesis a new atomic nuclei is created. This new nuclei is formed mainly from protons and neutrons that were already created.

The first person to come up with a successful theory for nucleosynthesis in stars was Fred Hoyle.