How does the Sun burn (fire) even in the absence of oxygen?

Question

Fire is combustible only in the presence of oxygen. But The Sun burns even in the absence of Oxygen.(i.e) in space
If something produces heat and light the medium is called
"Fire". So the sun produces the same. But how can the Sun only has the capacity to do so even in the absence of Oxygen which is
a supporter pf combustion?

Answer 1

It is a huge fusion reactor running on gravity. gravity (weight)creates enough pressure in it centre to crush hydrogen atoms together hard enough that they fuse into helium atoms. What we get as light, heat, and solar ion winds is the radiation from this huge reactor. we are the children of the fall out!

Answer 2

That's a very interesting question. The sun has the ability to fuse hydrogen together to make helium which gives up a lot of heat energy in the process. Ice cubes can fuse together in a bowl and we can easily break them apart again. When the hydrogen nuclei (means nuts as inside of shells) combine to make the larger nucleus of a helium atom the summed masses of the parts are different than the mass of the product and that is known as a mass discrepancy. Although the tiny amount of lost mass is small it is converted to energy using Einstein's formula E = mcxc (energy equals mass times the speed of light c squared). Because the speed of light is an enormous number and it is also squared, mass is converted into a vast amount of energy.

This would be like taking four toy blocks and adding them together; but rather than getting 1 + 1+ 1 + 1 = 4 ounces, you get say 3.99 ounces. The missing 0.01 ounce of block is then multiplied by c squared to dertermine how much energy the reaction produces.

Fusion of hydrogen into helium can occur only at or near the center of the sun where the pressure and temperature are great enough to force the reaction to occur. At that the process rarely occurs within a group of hydrogen atoms otherwise the sun would self-destruct. The slow release of a massive amount of energy then takes about a century to reach the surface of the sun where it is still hot enough to glow with pure white light. It takes only 8 more minutes to reach your eyes (or sun glasses?). Hope that helps a little.

Answer 3

The sun doesn't burn in the chemical sense (combine something
with oxygen).

The heat and light are given off primarily due to the fusion of
hydrogen into helium. Fusion releases an immense amount of
energy which heats all of the gasses on the sun which makes
it incredibly bright.

The term "burn" and "fire" are not very precise. If I say that
my boy friend was on fire in bed last night, it probably doesn't
mean he was combining with oxygen and emiting flame.

In this case, the terminology predates the science. That is,
the ancients looked up and saw an immensely bright object
that produced heat and seamed to have flames coming off
of it.

Why wouldn't they refer to it as burning and being on fire?

Answer 4

The process that takes place in the sun is nuclear fusion ie two or more small sized atom combine to for a larger atom.

In the sun two Hydrogen(1, 1) & two protons combine to form helium and in that process, releases large amount of heat and light energy which we see as fire.

Answer 5

Sun doesnot produce fire by burning oxygen. Sun is rich in hydrogen and helium. Sun produces this much amount of energy by a process called nuclear fusion reaction. In this process, four atoms of hydrogen react under extreme temperatures to produce two atoms of helium with the liberation of large amount of energy. This energy is radiated in the form of heat and light. We receive the heat energy in the form of infra-red radiations and light in the form of visible electromagnetic radiations.

Answer 6

Sun is huge gas ball. Its heat(surface temp=6000deg centigrade) is due to fission reactions. Hydrogen gets converted to Helium and there is energy release which manifests as high temperatures. Due high temperatures there is a tendency to expand. However the gravity of sun pulls gaseous matter and there is enormous rise in temp. and pressure leading to Fission reactions again. This is the cycle which goes on. Sun has been in existence for more than 5000 million years.It will keep giving heat till entire hydrogen content will get converted to helium after which it will be cold dead star!

Answer 7

The Sun 'burns' nuclear fuel that does not need oxygen. Nuclear energy
comes in two forms: fission in which heavy elements are broken down into
lighter ones; and fusion in which light elements are 'fused' together to
make heavier elements. Stars 'burn' by nuclear fusion.

Answer 8

The solar would not burn. it rather is recent technique nuclear fusion (atoms (hydrogen) fusing together) below the dazzling warmth and stress of the solar or any of the different 10^fifty six stars interior the universe. The solar is recent technique an identical technique as nuclear weapons and nuclear ability stations. it rather is not burning.

Answer 9

because the sun doesn't burn like a fire. it isn't fire: it is one huge nuclear reaction. like a h-bomb on a much larger scale. it is radiation that produces the heat and light, not fire.

Answer 10

:)

It is a hydrogen combustion and a nuclear reaction - nothing to do with anything burning as a fire !