stuff that make the Sun hot
2006-08-07 01:55:21 · 7 answers · asked by Evelyn T 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
When any gas is compressed - as happens because of the massive outer layers of the sun - it heats up. (A demonstration of this is how a bicycle tire heats up when it is filled.) As the sun contracted during its formation, the inner layers heated up quickly. When they reached a temperature of about 15 million degrees Kelvin, the hydrogen nuclei were moving so fast that fusion could occur. This provided enough outward pressure to stop the contraction, and the sun has been more or less the same size since then.
Fusion, as it turns out, is extremely sensitive to temperature. This is why the sun's temperature is now stable. Suppose that the interior heats up slightly. Then the rate of fusion increases quickly, and more energy is released. As this energy tries to escape, it creates an excess outward pressure that causes the sun to expand slightly. The expansion causes the temperature to decrease (the process is the opposite of filling a bicycle tire), which causes the fusion rate to go back down and the sun to return to its original size. Similarly, if the sun cooled down a bit, the interior would contract and heat up again until equilibrium is restored.
Thus, it is the heavy weight of the outer layers of the sun that initially caused the interior to heat up, but it is fusion that actually provides the energy and maintains the high temperature.
2006-08-07 20:20:11 · answer #1 · answered by Ashish B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sun is hot because there are billions of fusion reactions happening every second. A fusion reaction is the result of two atoms literally fusing to become one atom. This produces a lot of energy, such as heat and light.
Its a massive nuclear explosion.
2006-08-07 02:00:49 · answer #2 · answered by Azrael 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sun's core act as a nuclear reacter. The process of nuclear fusion,i.e,the conversion of hydrogen into helium liberates out a large amount of energy and emmits solar radiations which makes it so deadly hot!
2006-08-07 03:51:06 · answer #3 · answered by Shaggy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each second, more than 4 million tonnes of matter are converted into energy within the Sun's core, producing neutrinos and solar radiation.
2006-08-07 02:42:07 · answer #4 · answered by gangadharan nair 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sun transmits light and light is a source of heat. So, the sun does make things hotter.
2016-03-27 02:08:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rays are magnified by the earth's atmosphere
2006-08-07 02:00:42 · answer #6 · answered by AL B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in layman terms, the burning of flammable hydrogen - lots of it.
2006-08-07 18:52:19 · answer #7 · answered by Keita 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋