0
Fusion reactions can occur inside stars for two reasons...
- The temperature is extremely high, resulting in full ionization of the electrons from the hydrogen atoms. This removes one of the barriers from the fusion process that would interfere due to the electromagnetic force.
- The pressure is also extremely high, high enough to overcome the repulsion of the protons in the hydrogen atoms also due to the electromagnetic force, allowing the hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium atoms. The weak interaction then causes two of the protons to change into neutrons, completing the change into helium.
Both of these conditions are initiated by gravity.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoSun is a star and all stars are big balls of gas, primarily made up of gargantuan amounts of Hydrogen and Helium. To know what is nuclear fusion and how does it work in the Sun, one must know what are stars made of.
Nuclear fusion in the Sun is a process by which rapidly colliding nuclei, like those of Hydrogen, fuse together at very high temperatures, to form nuclei of higher atomic weight. In this process some mass is lost and converted into energy. That is the secret of Sun's energy production! The amount of energy obtained from conversion of 1 gm of matter into energy (given by Albert Einstein's celebrated equation, 'E = mc2) would be roughly 9 X 1013 Joules! So matter is just a form of energy! They are two manifestations of the same thing!
more info in related link
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoFusion reactions can be started with heat and pressure. The problem with doing this on Earth is that the heat and pressure are both too great for any physical confinement vessel to withstand. In a star, both may be supplied by gravity.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoMore than 98% of the Sun's energy comes from the proton-proton chain reaction, which involves the fusion of 4 protons followed by the weak interaction conversion of two of them into neutrons, to form helium. Less than 2% of the energy involves the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle, which involves four protons, fusing with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen as a catalyst, to various, via various pathways, with a net result of helium. The choice between reactions is based on mass. Our Sun "prefers" the PP reaction, while stars that are about 1.3 times as massive and greater, start to "prefer" the CNO cycle.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agothe process where light elements fuse into heavier ones is called nuclear fushion. By: skylaluv13
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Where would you find a nuclear fusion reaction occurring?
You can find nuclear fusion in a star.
When nuclear fusion occurs what form of radiation is released from the star?
Positrons and neutrinos are released by nuclear fusion.
What gas giant has nuclear fusion on it?
None. Nuclear fusion occurs in stars. Jupiter, for example, has all the right ingredients to be a star but as huge as it is, it doesn't have enough mass to generate the heat and internal pressure facilitate nuclear fusion. Hope this helps :-)
Does nuclear fusion occur in stars?
Nuclear fusion takes place only in the core of the Sun, or any star. Extremely high energy (temperatures) are required to force atomic nuclei together. The fusion reaction releases heat energy, which continues the fusion of other nuclei.
Does nuclear fusion occurs as stars cool down?
The star will continue to fuse hydrogen until it runs out of resources and dies out, after which it will collapse and die.
What kind of reaction occurs to produce energy inside a star?
Nuclear Fusion
Where would you find a nuclear fusion reaction occurring?
You can find nuclear fusion in a star.
What energy would be used in a nuclear reaction in a star?
Nuclear fusion.
When nuclear fusion occurs what form of radiation is released from the star?
Positrons and neutrinos are released by nuclear fusion.
What chemical reaction produces heat and energy in a star?
it is not a chemical reaction. It is a nuclear reaction and it is called fusion.
What creates the heat and light in a star?
Nuclear fusion, in the star's core.Nuclear fusion, in the star's core.Nuclear fusion, in the star's core.Nuclear fusion, in the star's core.
What is the name of the reaction tat occurs in the core of a star that makes the star hotter and luminescent?
Nuclear fusion, when hydrogen under extreme heat and pressure will fuse into helium and release a tiny bit of energy.
What is the name of the nection that occurs in the core of a star that makes it hot and luminescent?
Stars are powered by nuclear fusion, in which atoms of hydrogen are fused into atoms of helium, releasing a little energy with each reaction.
What gas giant has nuclear fusion on it?
None. Nuclear fusion occurs in stars. Jupiter, for example, has all the right ingredients to be a star but as huge as it is, it doesn't have enough mass to generate the heat and internal pressure facilitate nuclear fusion. Hope this helps :-)
Reaction dead star?
A dead star is one that no longer experiences nuclear fusion. This happens when a star runs out of hydrogen it can use to convert to helium.
Why do nuclear reactions take place inside the core of the sun?
Because of the energy source and it can also provide the needed speed for fusion. +++ Not speed. The nuclear fusion of is hydrogen to helium, and it occurs because the core of the star as it developed gained sufficient pressure and temperature for the reaction to start and become self-sustaining. The outer regions of a star are neither hot enough nor compressed enough for fusion to occur.
Does nuclear fusion occur in stars?
Nuclear fusion takes place only in the core of the Sun, or any star. Extremely high energy (temperatures) are required to force atomic nuclei together. The fusion reaction releases heat energy, which continues the fusion of other nuclei.
