Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 1: Problem 8

What makes the Sun and stars shine?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The Sun and stars shine due to the nuclear fusion happening in their core. This is a process wherein hydrogen atoms are combined to form helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy. This energy, later transformed into light, is what we see as the shining of stars and the Sun.

Step by step solution

01

Establish Basic Understanding of Stars

Stars, including the Sun, shine due to an intense energy production process taking place in their cores. This process is called nuclear fusion, where two atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing enormous amounts of energy. The most common fusion in stars is that of hydrogen atoms.
02

Explain the Mechanism of Fusion

The conditions inside a star facilitate the process of nuclear fusion. On combining, the hydrogen nuclei (protons) overcome their natural repulsion for each other, releasing a neutron and a neutrino resulting in the creation of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Further, deuterium fuses with another proton to create helium-3. When two helium-3 atoms combine, they form helium-4, and in this process, two protons are ejected. Then the helium-4 atom is left behind.
03

Describe Energy Emission

The energy released from the fusion reactions in the form of gamma rays moves out of the star's core and travels through its outer layers. This is transformed into light (photons), which can take hundreds of thousands of years to reach the star's surface and eventually shine out into space. Thus, the energy produced from these fusion reactions makes the Sun and stars shine.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Give the word or phrase that corresponds to the following standard abbreviations: (a) \(\mathrm{km}\), (b) \(\mathrm{cm}\), (c) s, (d) \(\mathrm{km} / \mathrm{s}\), (e) \(\mathrm{mi} / \mathrm{h}\), (f) \(\mathrm{m}\), (g) \(\mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\), (h) h, (i) \(\mathrm{y}\), (j) g, (k) \(\mathrm{kg}\). Which of these are units of speed? (Hint: You may have to refer to a dictionary. All of these abbreviations should be part of your working vocabulary.)

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

On April 18,2006 , the planet Venus was a distance of \(0.869\) AU from Earth. The diameter of Venus is \(12,104 \mathrm{~km}\). What was the angular size of Venus as seen from Earth on April 18,2006 ? Give your answer in arcminutes.

The star Altair is \(5.15\) pc from Earth. (a) What is the distance to Altair in kilometers? Use powers-of-ten notation. (b) How long does it take for light emanating from Altair to reach Earth? Give your answer in years. (Hint: You do not need to know the value of the speed of light.)

. All scientific knowledge is inherently provisional. Discuss whether this is a weakness or a strength of the scientific method.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Geometrical and Physical Optics

Read Explanation

Electric Charge Field and Potential

Read Explanation

Measurements

Read Explanation

Mechanics and Materials

Read Explanation

Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics

Read Explanation

Classical Mechanics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free