How does the sun “make” energy?

Question

can some one pleaze briefly describe this process to me?

Answer 1

Sure, the Sun consists mainly of Hydrogen and Helium. Basically what is done is that two hydrogen atoms are taken and then they are smashed together and one helium atom is made. The kicker is that if you take two hydrogen atoms and smash them together to make one helium atom, there is some extra stuff left over which is then released as energy.

This process is called nuclear fusion.

Breaking an atom into two smaller ones is called nuclear fission. So they are opposites (in a way). An atomic bomb works through fission. It takes a big atom (such as Uranium which is the biggest atom that exists naturally) and then breaks them up. Two smaller atoms are formed but something is left over which actually does the destruction. The energy comes out in the form of blinding light, deafening sound, and intense heat.

A hydrogen bomb is the next step. A hydrogen bomb works on the principles of fusion. But the problem is that in order to initiate fusion, you need way more pressure and temperature than what we have here on Earth. The sun can do it with no problem but it is a little hard for us to do here artificially.

So what they do is that a huge load of dynamite is detonated which is used to fire a bullet of Uranium and smash it. If there is enough Uranium at a fast enough speed, fission will begin. This is how a nuclear bomb works. Now, ir order to make the hydrogen bomb work, someone came up with the bright idea of using a nuclear bomb to create the environment for fusion to take place. Since a nuclear bomb already does that, just have some hydrogen there when it goes off and we have ourselves a hydrogen bomb.

So, in a hydrogen bomb, dynamite is used to start fission. Fission is then used to start fusion.

Obviously, a hydrogen bomb does a lot more damage than an atomic bomb would do.

Just to let you know that if I take two hydrogen atoms and smash them together to create one helium atom, the amount of mass converted to energy is very small but this very small amount of mass is converted to HUGE amounts of energy. This exact relationship is given by Einstein's famous E=mc^2.

E stand for energy. M stands for mass and c stands for speed of light. Light travels pretty fast so if you square it, its an ever bigger number. The equation makes it obvious as to why teeny tiny amounts of mass can wipe out entire cities.

Answer 2

We need to know the players in the game and the rules -- that is the particles and their interactions. The middle of the Sun is a very hot gas. It is ionized: all of the electrons have been ripped away from the nuclei because it is so hot. The nuclei available are mostly 1H, quite a lot of 4He, and a few 2H and 3He. (There are a few other types, but they are not so important for us.) What is happening in the middle of the Sun is analogous to burning methane: C H4 + 2 O2 --> C O2 + 2 H2 O In this reaction, the final molecules have less internal energy than the starting molecules. Since energy is conserved, the extra energy is released as energy of motion of the molecules. That is the gas gets hotter. The amount of energy involved is 5.5 eV each time the reaction above happens. As we have seen, much more energy than that must be involved in the reactions inside the Sun and other stars. The evidence is strong that the overall reaction is "burning" hydrogen to make helium: 4 1H + 2 e --> 4He + 2 neutrinos + 6 photons In this reaction, the final particles have less internal energy than the starting particles. Since energy is conserved, the extra energy is released as energy of motion of the nuclei and electrons in the solar gas, the production of lots of low energy photons and, finally, the energy of the neutrinos, which just zip right out of the Sun. That is the gas gets hotter and has lots of photons (and neutrinos). The amount of energy involved is 26 MeV = 26 x 106 eV each time the reaction above happens. Why do we think that this is what goes on? Energy output of millions of eV per reaction is needed if the Sun has been producing energy at the observed rate over billions of years. The reactions exist. (They have been studied in the laboratory.) There is a consistent step-by-step theory for the reaction.

Answer 3

It's on FIRE!

Ok, Seriously, it doesn't "make" energy exactly, it converts mass, or in this case condensed nuclear gases, into other forms, light heat, ray emissions, radio waves, etc...which contain excited particles that move fast and bounce off of each other. Some bounce so hard that they break apart and release their kinetic energy, (stored energy) which pushes other particles around which bounce and some break and so forth. Not all particles are broken, just the component parts are pulled apart. These fast moving parts, photons, ions, and the like are bounced into space to create the energy the sun displays.

Answer 4

It doesn't make energy. All the energy is already in it. It releases energy by a process called fusion. Hydrogen atoms are fused together to make helium atoms, and this releases excess energy.

Answer 5

It uses gravity to create enough pressure in the middle to squeeze four hydrogen atoms together and make a helium atom. The helium atom weighs a little less than the four hydrogen atoms you used to make it, and the excess is given off as energy like heat and light.

Answer 6

nuclear fusion