2006-12-03 23:27:30 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The Sun sends out about 4 x 10^33 ergs/sec of energy. Einstein's mass-energy relation is E = m c^2.
Thus the equivalent mass loss of all this energy loss is m = 4 x 10^33 ergs/sec divided by the speed of light squared, (3 x 10^10 cm/sec)^2.
This gives a mass loss of 4 x 10^12 grams/sec or about 4 million metric tons per second.
On an astronomical scale this is piddling. The Sun weighs
about 2 x 10^33 grams today, so if the Sun lost mass by radiation at this rate it would lose 1% of its mass in (0.01)(2 x 10^33 grams)/(4 x10^12 grams/sec) = 5 x 10^18 seconds, or about 160 billion years.
The Sun loses mass at a much higher rate through another
mechanism, the Solar wind. This is the result of light pressure on
the Sun's atmosphere blowing off particles at a high speed, so fast they escape the Sun's gravity field and fly off into space. Approximately 1×109 kg/s [1] of material is lost by the Sun as ejected solar wind. Astrophysicists actually believe the Sun may have lost up to 20% of its mass in its youth during the so-called ``T-Tauri'' phase, when the Solar wind was immense.
2006-12-03 23:39:41 · answer #1 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The mass the Sun loses is equal to the mass of its energy output. The emits energy at the rate of 3.86 * 10^26 Jules per second. this can be converted to mass by E=mc^2 yielding around 4.3 * 10^9 kilograms per second.
2006-12-03 23:33:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because of its strict Catholic upbringing, I don't think its ever missed mass ... well, maybe a couple of times, but not very many!
2006-12-03 23:35:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
600 Tons per second.
2006-12-03 23:31:00 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋