What are the two opposing forces that keep a star like the sun in balance? Which of these always wins?

Answer 1

A star like the sun is kept in balance by Gas pressure and Gravity. The gas pressure is much like that of a baloon, the gas wishes to escape and so it is constantly pushing outwards. Gravity, as determined by the mass of the star, is constantly pulling the gas back down, much like the skin of a baloon.

This isn't very accurate however, as there are other factors to consider, including spin, weak and strong atomic forces, and the fact that the sun isn't really in balance, as it is radiating massive amounts of energy, and sucking in massive amounts of... mass, all the time. These two are not equivalent, and the sun will continue to grow despite the shedding of nuclear energies until it becomes a red giant.


Tiger Striped Dog MD

Answer 2

It's not gas pressure so much as thermal pressure - all the energy being created at the core of the Sun needs to get out. Gravity and thermal pressure balance and create an equilibrium inside the Sun.

Eventually the Sun will stop producing energy in its core, so the core starts to shrink - then fun things happen!

I like to say that in a black hole (which the Sun will *never* become) gravity wins - there's nothing to balance out gravity, so the mass of a black hole collapses forever. In every other object in the universe, however, there's always some force that balances gravity.

Answer 3

Two Opposing Forces

Answer 4

The answer is quite simple. The forces you speak of during formation of the sun to "Balance it", is the most simplistic to understand. When a star forms, it is already at a balance in its gravity, because when a star forms, it forms inside a galaxy. "Free space" in a galaxy, allows it to center its gasses based upon what would NOT rotate around it. When a star forms, the bounds of its solar system is already known, because as a star degrades, it spits solids and gasses as planets out of itself, which rotates around its sun at given places in its solar system (according to planetary mass). Yet there are also forces of gravity outside of its solar system which acts as a gravitational force, that pulls smaller planets out from the middle of the solar system, farther out. (Like pluto, if you believe it is a planet.)
The forces acted are...

1) The strength of blast which is over the escape speed of a star.
2) The pull of gravity from extrasolar sytems.
3) The mass of a planet..
4) The momentum of a planet acted against the escape speed for farther movement, which is then pulled back by the sun until a balance is found.
(Given that the sun is already at balance in its solar system)

The fact is, our stars DO move, but only according to formations in their galaxy.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

The sun burns hydrogen by fusion and turns it into helium.When it burns all the helium it would fall out the sky like a derigible.. Well.

Answer 7

nuclear reactions push it out into space; gravity pulls it back in. When these forces are equal, the sun stabilizes at that size.