113 How the Sun Works

The sun does not burn . The belief that the sun does burn is a misconception. In stars the size of the sun or smaller, the fusion process is referred to as the proton-proton cycle or proton-proton chain reaction .The general steps to the Proton-proton cycle include:

  1. Two protons fuse to produce a deuterium nucleus (p + n ) — a positron, a neutrino, and a lot of energy
  2. A proton and a deuterium atom combine to form a He-3, Gamma Ray, and energy
  3. Two He-3 atoms combine to form a He-4 atom, two protons, and energy

It takes about 100,000 years for that energy to get from the sun’s core to the photosphere.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Introduction to Astronomy Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book