How come the sun burns the way it does without a fuel source and no oxygen?

Question

This question was posed to me today and i didn't have a ready answer :) Anyone who could explain this in detail? Obviously, the Sun is a star, but how does this all work?

Answer 1

It's not burning, it's nuclear fusion:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion

Answer 2

The sun is a ball of mass that is self-gravitating. That means that it's own mass produces a gravitational field in which the gas that the sun consists of is collapsing towards the center. However, gas that is compressed heats up and then builds outward thermal pressure that slows down the collapse. Nonetheless, that is not enough to halt the collapse. The gas in the interior during the formation of the sun from a protostellar cloud continues to collapse, increasing the pressure and temperature. At some point, the temperature in the center of the sun reaches a critical point (value) at which an atomic hydrogen can be fused with another hydrogen atom releasing a tremendous amound of energy which expands outwards. This energy is a mix of high energy radiation and almost massless particles called neutrinos.The latter mostly stream out of the sun. The radiative energy though is trapped by the gas and slowly leaks out via a process called diffusion. The outward diffusion of radiation acts as outward pressure via heating and direct radiative pressure of the photons. That sequence balances the gravitational collapse and creates a stable sun as it has been for the last 4-5 billion years. As you can see, the sun burns hydrogen. When you start a fire, you need friction for example to raise the temperature of the material, eg. wood, to a critical value at which such carbon based material will use the atmospheric oxygen in an exothermal chemical reaction that releases heat. That is fire. Different material burn at different temperatures and for all practical Earth based cases all exothermal chemical reactions involve oxygen. That however is not general, as described by what happens in the case of the sun.

Answer 3

The heat produced from the Sun is a nuclear reaction, not a chemical one.



In a chemical reaction - e.g. burning of wood or paper, energy is released from breaking and reforming of chemical bonds. In the Sun, energy is produced by fusion of atomic nuclei within the star itself and doesn't require oxygen. This is an example of Einstein's famous e=mc2 equation. The fuel source for the Sun is the matter contained within it and the Sun is actually getting lighter as a result of mass being converted into electromagnetic energy.

Answer 4

The sun does have a fuel source of hydrogen (among other things) but doesn't need oxygen because it works be converting some of that hydrogen into pure energy in exactly the way an atomic bomb does.

Answer 5

The Sun is not on fire, since fire requires oxygen to burn.



At the core of the Sun, nuclear fusion is turning hydrogen into helium. This process releases LOTS of energy. In fact, the Sun has enough hydrogen "fuel" at its core to continue fusing for another 5 billion years or so (it's already been going for 4.5 billion years).

Answer 6

There is an absolutely huge amount of fuel available to the sun's nuclear furnace....Hydrogen, lots and lots of hydrogen. Since the reaction that fires the sun is nuclear (pronounce NEW-klee-ur)and not chemical, no oxygen is needed. The sun is just a giant H-Bomb that never stops exploding.... luckily for us it is 93,000,000 miles away (almost 400 times farther away than the moon)!!!

Answer 7

the sun started out as a swirling mass of dust and gas. When it organized, the hydrogen atoms in the core collided at very high speed, this is called nuclear fusion and it forms helium. This is how it gets the energy to burn. Eventually its hydrogen supply will run out. The sun will swell to so big that it outer atomspheric layers will be near jupiter.

Answer 8

particular, that is posible to extract Hydrogen from water yet as you are able to wager, you will could function capability to cut up them. How? usually that is executed by ability of only utilising a voltage to water, then you definately gets Oxygen bubbles on the advantageous section(+) and Hydrogen at damaging (-). Then only assemble the bubbles. you are able to attempt it at domicile in case you like. you would be shocked on how uncomplicated that's! you like.. a 9-Volt its ok, usually 2 cables, water and spot what occurs. no longer bubbles? ..then attempt including straightforward salt (NaCl). The salt will help the water been greater conductive. the subject isn't the place to extract the Hydrogen from, yet to locate a suited way of storing and dealing with it. Exxon, BP, and different oil giants say to do study in those fields too. you need to use photograph voltaic/wind/water-point to charge your batteries and extract H2.

Answer 9

thermonuclear reactions take place inside the core ,nuclear fusion turns hydrogen to helium, and the sun has a vast hydrogen resource to keep it going for a few more billion years

Answer 10

It works by nuclear fusion, fusing hydrogen into helium. It doesn't need oxygen because it doesn't burn.

Answer 11

it does have a fuel source and oxygen.