THE SUN: THE ENERGY OF THE SUN COMES FROM NUCLEAR FUSION

THE SUN: THE ENERGY OF THE SUN COMES FROM NUCLEAR FUSION

Ali Sina 

On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 6:45 AM

Someone Ask: Can you explain to me about the sun. I mean the sun was shining and the heat reaches millions of years 6000 - 7000 degrees Celsius, which is my question: Where is the energy to generate heat?  Why not endless energy or oil are burned?

 

Ali Sina:

The energy of the sun comes from nuclear fusion. This happens when atoms are under immense pressure. Sun is a million times more massive than the Earth. The atoms in its core are under extreme pressure. This pressure cause nuclear fusion. The energy is then released and it takes a million years for this energy to come to the surface of the sun and erupt as huge explosions. Any celestial object with a large mass will become a sun. All stars are suns. Smaller suns become red dwarf and larger sun become super nova. Only suns the size of our sun can have enough energy and live long enough to sustain planets on which life can evolve.  The energy of nuclear fusion is millions of time more powerful than the energy form burning oil. If the sun were made of burning oil, it would have died very fast and it would not have been as hot to give us enough heat.