How can scientists PROVE that stars are Suns?

Question

At the moment it is only a theory how can they possibly prove the fact without any doubt?

Answer 1

Nobody can PROVE anything if they don't already agree on SOMETHING. We can measure the distance to stars from the parallax caused by Earth's orbital motion and then calculate how bright they would be if they were as close as the Sun is, and when we do that, they are as bright as the Sun. We can measure the size and mass and chemical composition various ways. But if you do not agree that the measurements mean anything, I cannot prove anything to you.

Answer 2

Several other people have listed several good sources to look at the facts which has lead astrophysicists and astronomers to conclude that stars are... well stars. We dont call them other suns. Our sun is a a fairly average type G star.

What troubles me about your question is the phrase 'only a theory' yes many things in science are theories. A theory in science though is not the same as a theory in philosophy or theology or everydaylife. An unproven assumption even based on quantifiable data is merely a hypothesis. If the data agrees with that hypothesis and it is NEVER disproven - then it becomes a scientific theory. Facts that proved the renaissance hypothesis that stars were other 'suns' would be based on doppler shifts and measurements of their colour spectrums letting us know what they're made of. Most are basically balls of burning hydrogen/helium plasma. Scientists know you dont get that with a few gallons of the stuff. They have to be huge - could a huge ongoing nuclear fusion reaction be possible?

We have a sample to hand dont we? Our own Sun. You can imagine saying 'how can scientists prove the sun is so big and not just the size of a football field near the Earth' - you have to be willing to look at the evidence. The great thing is, science will never ask you to take anything on faith. To endorse a tired cliche - the truth is out there.

Answer 3

Personally having considered all the evidence from spetroscopy which has identified specific elements in the stars due to spectral lines which match specific elements in the gaseous phase, the relation between mass luminosity and distance of stellar sources, which comes from geometrical(parallax ) measurement and the hertzprung- russel sequence, it's obv a load of baloney and the 'stars' are just tintaks god used to hold up the sky. Also the universe is only 6,000yrs old and only 10,000 miles big..agree?.. then gimme my 10 points!

Answer 4

A star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma. Stars group together to form galaxies, and they dominate the visible universe. The nearest star is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth, including daylight. Other stars are visible in the night sky, when they are not outshone by the Sun. A star shines because nuclear fusion in its core releases energy which traverses the star's interior and then radiates into outer space. Without stars, life on Earth and most atomic elements would not exist.

Astronomers can determine the mass, age, chemical composition and many other properties of a star by observing its spectrum, luminosity and motion through space. The total mass of a star is the principal determinant in its evolution and eventual fate. Other characteristics of a star that are determined by its evolutionary history include the diameter, rotation, movement and temperature. A plot of the temperature of many stars against their luminosities, known as a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram), allows the current age and evolutionary state of a particular star to be determined.

A star begins as a collapsing cloud of material that is composed primarily of hydrogen along with some helium and heavier trace elements. Once the stellar core is sufficiently dense, some of the hydrogen is steadily converted into helium through the process of nuclear fusion. The remainder of the star's interior carries energy away from the core through a combination of radiation and convective processes. These processes keep the star from collapsing upon itself and the energy generates a stellar wind at the surface and radiation into outer space.[1]

Once the hydrogen fuel at the core is exhausted, a star of at least 0.4 times the mass of the Sun[2] expands to become a red giant, fusing heavier elements at the core, or in shells around the core. It then evolves into a degenerate form, recycling a portion of the matter into the interstellar environment where it will form a new generation of stars with a higher proportion of heavy elements.[3]

Binary and multi-star systems consist of two or more stars that are gravitationally bound, and generally move around each other in stable orbits. When two such stars have a relatively close orbit, their gravitational interaction can have a significant impact on their evolution.[4]

Answer 5

We have measured the power distribution of all types of radiation coming from stars. The radiation observed can only be explained by fusion reactions similar to those in our own sun. We have also made parallax and binary-eclipse measurements of the diameter of many stars, finding that that their sizes are similar to that of our sun. We have also spectroscopically analyzed the chemical composition of stars, confirming that they are, in fact, very much like our own sun.

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

They compare the spectra of the stars and the sun and find they are very similar. That says that they are chemically similar and are carrying on the same kind of nuclear reactions.

Answer 8

stars are NOT suns
the sun is a star
it's the other way around
lol

Answer 9

Scientists done prove anything, just produce evidence for theories that gets harder and harder to argue against.

Answer 10

our sun is a star so yeah guess it's proven that star-suns exist