The Sun, like other stars similar to it, is sustained by a Nuclear Fusion Reaction at its core. Unlike Nuclear Power here on Earth, which is created by the process of splitting atoms (Nuclear Fission) Fusion creates energy by fusing atoms together. This has proven a difficult objective to achieve here on Earth - though it occurs naturally in stars, on Earth the problem is containment, a problem that has as yet not found a viable solution.
Though the extreme gravity of stars is what initiates a fusion reaction in them, it has been theorized recently that a fusion reaction at smaller levels with chemicals is possible. This is commonly referred to as "Cold Fusion" for the relatively low amount of energy it would produce in contrast to nuclear fusion. Though Cold Fusion has largely been discounted, it continues to be researched. Often the biggest scientific breakthroughs are made by those who do not always hold to conventional scientific beliefs. If we did, we would have never done things like go to the Moon, or broken the Sound Barrier. In the time before it happened, both were considered by mainstream science as "impossible" to achieve.
Nuclear fusion with hydrogen being converted into helium.
Nuclear fusion. The conversion of hydrogen into helium. About 4,000,000 tons per second
Nuclear fussion of Hydrogen to give helium, positron and energy
Nuclear energy is a kind of potential energy.
The initial release of energy is in the form of kinetic energy of the fission fragments, but they are quickly stopped inside the fuel and the energy appears as heat, which is then passed into the coolant, whether water or gas.
Stars obtain energy from a reaction called nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion causes lighter elements to become heavier elements. The most common reaction fuses hydrogen into helium. But helium can fuse further, to even heavier elements. This releases energy until you reach the element iron. Anything heavier than iron consumes energy, rather than releasing it, when it is formed by nuclear fusion.thermonuclear fusion
nuclear
exothermic reaction! (sudenly?)
Nuclear fussion of Hydrogen to give helium, positron and energy
Nickel and iron accumulate in the interior of large stars and do not release energy by any kind of nuclear reaction.
Nuclear energy sometime uses uranium for its energy source.
All protons are identical. Any proton with sufficiently high energy can cause a nuclear reaction.
One type of atom (element or isotope) is converted to another. This is called nuclear reaction.
Nuclear Fusion
We often see gamma rays released in nuclear reactions
Nuclear energy, which is a kind of potential energy.
the nuclear kind
Nuclear energy is a kind of potential energy.
starting the fission neutron chain reaction using some kind of pulsed neutron source.
You have to produce some kind of reaction to make the fuel change state. This could be a nuclear reaction, or in the case of combustible fossil fuels it is a chemical reaction with oxygen