am i nuts, if there's no oxygen in space and the sun is made of hydrogen, how does it burn ?
2007-03-15 02:34:43 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The sun does not burn like fire, so it doesn't need oxygen. The stars are "burning" because there are some chemical reactions going on at their surface called the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle, however the most important one is the first one because there isn't too much carbon in space. These reactions transform the hydrogen in helium and the result is radiation.
2007-03-15 05:22:54 · answer #1 · answered by Raven 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does not. The solar is a great nuclear reactor, which fuses hydrogen to helium. The helium it makes is somewhat much less huge than the hydrogen it began with, and the version turns up as capability, in accordance to Einstein's fashionable equation E = mc^2 The mass fed on is extremely great - however the solar is so huge that it will proceed to run on hydrogen for billions of years. Hydrogen is plenty the main undemanding ingredient in the universe, and maximum stars paintings plenty the comparable because of the fact the solar (even in spite of the shown fact that some turn hydrogen into elium circuitously, in a series which additionally involves carbon, oxygen and nitrogen). Which brings up the factor that the solar isn't thoroughly with out oxygen - even in spite of the shown fact that it is so warm (noticeably in the photograph voltaic indoors) that the oxygen could no longer in all probability type chemical components, like water or carbon dioxide. they might as we communicate crumble as a results of intense temperatures. As yet another aside, you do no longer quite unavoidably choose oxygen to burn some thing right here in the international, the two, even in spite of the shown fact that it is the commonplace ingredient. as an occasion, sodium will burn in a chlorine environment, to offer undemanding salt.
2016-10-02 04:05:52 · answer #2 · answered by kosmoski 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Sun does not burn. It is powered by a nuclear reaction. Nuclear fusion actually. Hydrogen atoms bond together to form helium.
2007-03-15 02:43:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Which, all of the above answers are because there is so much stuff there. All of the material that is at the sun is so crunched together, that these fusion processes happen.
It's so big, you really can't even imagine easily without seeing comparisons. Also, I read that it takes millions of years for the light generated by the fusion process to even get to the surface of the sun, then another 8 minutes or so to reach Earth.
2007-03-15 03:26:22 · answer #4 · answered by Clinton G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't burn it's a nuclear reaction like the hydrogen bomb and requires no oxygen
2007-03-15 02:40:17 · answer #5 · answered by Gene 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The sun burns through a nuclear reaction.
It is not a fire.
2007-03-15 02:38:40 · answer #6 · answered by dudara 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You're not nuts; just uninformed. Nuclear fusion doesn't require oxygen.
2007-03-15 06:07:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
By Nuclear fusion....
It's actually called Proton-Proton chains and you can read more about it here.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-proton_chain_reaction
There is also something called the Triple Alpha Process which is also involved....see here.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha_process
2007-03-15 03:23:52 · answer #8 · answered by Doctor Q 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it doesn't burn , it fusses
2007-03-15 02:38:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋