Where do stars get there energy from?

Answer 1

Fusion reactions power the stars and produce all but the lightest elements in a process called nucleosynthesis. Although the fusion of lighter elements in stars releases energy, production of elements heavier than iron absorbs energy.

When the fusion reaction is a sustained uncontrolled chain, it can result in a thermonuclear explosion, such as that generated by a hydrogen bomb. Reactions which are not self-sustaining can still release considerable energy, as well as large numbers of neutrons.

Nucleosynthesis or nucleogenesis is the production of all the chemical elements from the simplest element, hydrogen, by thermonuclear reactions within stars, supernovas, and in the big bang at the beginning of the universe. A star obtains its energy by fusing together light nuclei to form heavier nuclei; in this process, mass (m) is converted into energy (E) in accordance with Einstein's formula, E=mc2, in which cis the speed of light. The reactions are initiated by the high temperatures (about 14 million degrees Celsius) at the center of the star. In the course of producing nuclear energy, the star synthesizes all the elements of the periodic table from its initial composition of mostly hydrogen and a small amount of helium.

Transformation of Hydrogen to Helium

The first step is the fusion of four hydrogen nuclei to make one helium nucleus. This "hydrogen-burning" phase supplies energy to stars on the main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. There are two chains of reactions by which the conversion of hydrogen to helium is effected: the proton-proton cycle and the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle (sometimes referred to simply as the carbon cycle). They were both first studied and proposed as sources of stellar energy by H. Bethe and independently by C. von Weiszäcker. The proton-proton cycle operates in less massive and luminous stars like the sun, while the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle (which speeds up dramatically at higher temperatures) dominates in more massive and luminous stars.

The Proton-Proton Cycle

In the proton-proton cycle, two hydrogen nuclei (protons) are fused and one of these protons is converted to a neutron by beta decay to make a deuterium nucleus (one proton and one neutron). Then a third proton is added to deuterium to form the light isotope of helium, helium-3. When two helium-3 nuclei collide, they form a nucleus of ordinary helium, helium-4 (two protons and two neutrons), and release two protons. In each of these steps considerable energy is also released.

The Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen Cycle

The carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle requires minute traces of carbon as a catalyst. Four protons are added, one by one, to a carbon nucleus to form a succession of excited (unstable) nuclei of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The intermediate nuclei shed their excess electric charge via beta decay and the final oxygen nucleus spontaneously splits into the original carbon nucleus and a helium-4 nucleus, releasing energy. The net effect is again the combination of four hydrogen nuclei to form one helium-4 nucleus; the carbon is free to begin the cycle over again.

Creation of the Heavier Elements

After the bulk of a star's hydrogen has been converted to helium by either the proton-proton or carbon-nitrogen-oxygen process, the stellar core contracts (while the outer layers expand) until sufficiently high temperatures are reached to initiate "helium-burning" by the triple-alpha process; in this process, three helium nuclei (alpha particles) are fused to make a carbon nucleus. By successive additions of helium nuclei, the heavier elements through iron-56 are built up. The elements whose atomic weights are not multiples of four are created by side reactions that involve neutrons. Because iron-56 is the most stable of the elements, it is very difficult to add an extra helium nucleus to it. However, iron-56 will readily capture a neutron to form the less stable isotope, iron-57. From iron-57, the elements through bismuth-209 can be synthesized. The elements more massive than bismuth-209 are radioactive; that is, they spontaneously break apart. However, during a supernova, an extremely intense flux of neutrons is generated and nuclear reactions proceed so rapidly that the radioactive elements do not have enough time to decay, resulting in the rapid creation of the radioactive elements up to and beyond uranium.

Answer 2

Stars change mass into energy via nuclear fusion, where hydrogen nuclei are fused to create helium and a small amount of energy; such vast quantities are released because so much hydrogen is converted this way.

Answer 3

Stars produce energy through thermonuclear fusion of Hydrogen under immense heat and pressure to produce Helium. There are a variety of pathways in which this can occur. Our Sun uses the proton-proton chain reaction in an environment of 15000000° C and 340 billion times Earth's sea level air pressure.

The process of fusion is the opposite of fission which is also used to produce energy (used in nuclear bombs and nuclear plants).

Answer 4

The energy production in a star depends on where the star lies in its lifecycle. Our Sun, for instance, uses a processes called the proton-proton chain. In a nutshell, the core of the Sun, and other stars below it on the main sequence, is at 10-15 million Kelvin. This allows the smashing of hydrogen protons to create helium and energy.

The other fusion process is the CNO cycle. Four protons fuse, using carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes as a catalyst, to produce one alpha particle, two positrons and two electron neutrinos.

ty.... :-)

Answer 5

Conventional wisdom states that stars and the sun are powered by nuclear fusion. Prior theories stated that stars and the sun are powered by gravitational contraction. These theories both state that a star's energy source is internal and not external.

A star receives its energy through nuclear fusion of Hydrogen into Helium.

First you start out with a cloud of hydrogen gas, and over the centuries if not millions of years, the hydrogen gas gets closer and closer and denser and denser...think of a light fog as you're heading down the street. As the hydrogen gas begins to condense due to Gravity, more and more hydrogen gas gets "attracted" to the area...making the cloud even denser....

Hydrogen gas begins to pile in on itself until such point that the pressures due to the weight of all that gas pushing down on itself begins to fuse hydrogen into helium....once that occurs then you have a star.

Answer 6

By nuclear fusion, hydrogen turns into helium and energy is released

Answer 7

For normal stars, the fusion of hydrogen into helium releases the energy with which they shine.

See the Hertzsprung - Russell diagram for lots of thought.