It's a nuclear fusion reaction
Fusion
The thermonuclear reactions in the Sun occur in its core, where hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium nuclei. This process releases energy in the form of light and heat, which powers the Sun and sustains life on Earth. The most common reaction is the proton-proton chain reaction, where hydrogen nuclei collide to form helium-4 nuclei.
It is the fusion of hydrogen nuclei (protons) to form helium
During the solar nuclear reaction, hydrogen nuclei (protons) bond together to form helium nuclei through a process called nuclear fusion. This fusion involves the conversion of hydrogen into helium, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of light and heat.
It definitely runs on hydrogen, and its made of helium, as well. --- Yes, it is mainly made of hydrogen which it uses as a fuel. It fuses hydrogen nuclei together to form helium, producing huge amounts of energy through this nuclear fusion reaction. Helium is produced by this reaction. The most important fusion reaction is stars the size of our Sun, is the so called 'Proton - proton' reaction, which in summary, combines 4 nuclei of Hydrogen to produce one nucleus of Helium, plus two nuclei of Hydrogen, and positrons and gamma rays. Gamma rays get transformed inside the sun into less harmful electromagnetic radiations. There are other fusion reaction inside stars, which combine lighter atom nuclei into heavier nuclei, going up to producing carbon C and iron Fe nuclei.
During the solar nuclear reaction, in the proton-proton chain, four hydrogen nuclei (protons) bond together to form a helium nucleus. Two protons combine to form a deuterium nucleus, which then fuses with another proton to form helium-3. Two of the helium-3 nuclei then fuse to form helium-4.
A helium nucleus, also known as an alpha particle, is formed during a solar nuclear reaction by the fusion of four hydrogen nuclei.
- hydrogen nuclei waiting to be fused into helium and - helium which has been fused from hydrogen nuclei
The nuclear reaction that combines hydrogen to form helium and produces most of the sun's energy is called nuclear fusion. In this reaction, hydrogen nuclei (protons) fuse together to form helium nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of light and heat.
The reactants are Hydrogen atoms and products are Helium atoms. Because Helium atoms are larger than Hydrogen atom, large amount of energy is released from the net binding energy that resulted during the fusion process.
In a hydrogen bomb, hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium (2H) and tritium (3H) are fused together to form helium. The main reaction involves the fusion of deuterium and tritium nuclei to create a helium nucleus, along with a neutron and release of a large amount of energy.
The main difference is that hydrogen nuclei have 1 proton whereas helium nuclei have 2 protons. The number of neutrons depends on the "isotope". Usually, a hydrogen nucleus does not have neutrons and is simply a proton. The helium nucleus usually has 2 neutrons.