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It is believed this was how the universe formed. Hydrogen fuses to form all the other heavier elements on the Periodic Table up to Element number 92
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What chemical element is the primary constitutent of a young star?
In the current stage of the Universe, stars start off with lots of hydrogen-1 - and that's what they first fuse, since fusing heavier elements requires higher temperatures.Actually, hydrogen-2 (also known as deuterium) is even easier to fuse, but stars don't have significant amounts of that.
When a red supergiant runs out of fuel at its core?
A stars usual and preferred fuel is hydrogen. For most of it's life it will be fusing hydrogen and releasing energy in the process and making larger nuclei. Once it has used up the hydrogen, it will then burn more of the heavier elements such as the helium that it had produced during it's main sequence. Depending on the stars mass, it will go through various phases of fusing heavier nuclei, with burn phases becoming progressively shorter. The dynamics involved mean that the star may expand to a red giant or red supergiant during these phases, if it's mass is sufficient.
Can the sun produce elements heavier than oxygen?
The heaviest element that our Sun produces is probably silicon; the core temperature and pressure would need to be MUCH higher to produce heavier elements. The heaviest element that can be produced in ANY star is iron.The reason for this is something called the "packing fraction curve". As light elements are fused into heavier elements, they release energy; this is how the Sun and other stars work, by fusing hydrogen into helium. Toward the end of a star's life, the temperature and pressure increase enough to fuse helium into carbon, and then carbon into heavier elements, but each stage releases less and less energy. Finally, when elements fuse into iron, you can get no more energy out. To fuse iron into heavier things, or anything into elements heavier than iron, you must put energy IN. When a star begins fusing iron into heavy elements, it suddenly stops producing energy to support the star against the tremendous gravity, but instead starts sucking energy OUT of the core of the star to power fusion!This loss of energy from the core of the star causes a sudden and catastrophic implosion as the core of the star collapses the core into a black hole or neutron star, and the outer layers of the star are compressed and expelled in a shock wave that creates gigatons of heavy elements and throws the remainder of the star's mass into space; a supernova explosion.So, nothing heavier than iron can be produced in a normal star; heavier elements are only created in supernovas.
Stars produce energy by fusing hydrogen into what?
The products of hydrogen fusion are helium and energy.
What kinds of atoms are fusing or combining together inside the sun?
At the age the sun is now it is still fusing hydrogen into helium.
Do all stars turn hydrogen in to helium?
No. Stars that have depleted the hydrogen in their cores may start fusing heavier elements.
What is the difference between a red and a blue star?
A red star is fusing mostly hydrogen while a blue star has depleted its hydrogen supply and is fusing helium into heavier elements.
The Sun produces energy by fusing hydrogen atoms into atoms in its core.?
Yes it does. It produces helium by fusing hydrogen
Which produces the most energy?
Fusing 5 kg of hydrogen
What fuel is used by red giant stars?
After using up its hydrogen-1, the star becomes a red giant. It will start fusing helium-4 into heavier elements. It may also fuse heavier elements, to get other elements that are yet heavier.
What is the term describing the fusing of lighter elements into heavier elements?
nucleosynthesis
What are some characteristics of stars that might account for the fact that some have more complex elements in their spectra?
Older age might account for it. As a star ages, it uses up the simplest elements (hydrogen . . . helium . . .) then starts fusing heavier and heavier elements. Our Sun will get to the point of fusing iron, which is pretty heavy, but the truly large stars out there will fuse elements much heavier than Iron. These heavier and heavier elements may account for some stars having more complex elements in their spectra.
Which nuclear fuel is there in the sun?
At this point in time hydrogen is being fused into helium. Many, many years down the line, as the hydrogen runs out, the sun will begin fusing heavier and heavier elements for fuel. At least to iron.
What are the main elements that make up a star?
For main sequence stars, the vast majority is hydrogen and helium. Older stars will exhaust these lighter elements near their cores and begin fusing heavier elements.
What element is currently building up in the Sun's core?
Right now, hydrogen is fusing into hydrogen. As the hydrogen gets used up, helium will begin fusing into the next heavier element. When the helium is about used up, the next heavier element will begin fusing into the next . . . . well, keep on going until you get iron as the result of fusing. The Sun has not enough pressure and heat to fuse iron into anything heavier, and the Sun will blossom out into a red giant. Of course, this is billions of years from now . . .
Which produces the most energy 10kg of what?
Fusing 10 kg of hydrogen -apex
What Fuel does a Star burn to create its own energy?
A star will use fusion to combine lighter atoms into heavier atoms. A main-sequence star (that's the majority of stars) will convert hydrogen-1 into helium-4, so in this case, hydrogen-1 is the fuel. Once it starts running out of hydrogen-1, it will start fusing the helium into heavier elements - in which case the main fuel will be the helium-4. Later in the life cycle of a star, the fuel can be even heavier elements.
