This question came to me today during school, and my science teacher wasn't there to answer it. This is probably a stupid-ish question, but I want to know how the sun can burn if there isn't any air in space? Or is there some other gas?
2007-04-02 10:16:57 · 6 answers · asked by ShaunaTHEweirdo 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It's not burning. It's a nuclear reaction.
2007-04-02 10:21:55 · answer #1 · answered by xooxcable 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not a stupid question. The answer is, the sun isn't on fire. It's made of plasma, which is a superheated conducing gas. It's powered by nuclear fusion in the core, where it combines hydrogen into helium.
Fun fact: stars much bigger than the sun (like Rigel or Vega) can fuse other elements besides helium in their cores - like carbon, oxygen, and all the way to iron. All the oxygen in the universe was created INSIDE massive stars at some point, and when they exploded, they spread it around the universe. That also includes pretty much every element in your body - you're made of stars!
2007-04-02 10:36:02 · answer #2 · answered by eri 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Sun is not burning. Fire is a chemical reaction where oxygen and hydrogen combine to make water and release a little energy; or maybe oxygen and carbon combine to make carbon dioxide and release a little energy. There are many different chemical reactions that ARE fire.
The Sun is glowing from the energy of nuclear reactions. Hydrogen is combining with more hydrogen to make Helium and a whole lot of energy in a nuclear reaction. There are many other nuclear reactions, but it is hydrogen changing into helium that powers the Sun.
2007-04-02 10:21:30 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It isn't burning like fire - there's no combination of oxygen and some other material; It's nuclear fusion that's happening - like, what happens when we set off a Hydrogen bomb. Essentially, every second, it's combining 4 hydrogen atoms to make one helium atom - releasing much energy in the process. The sun will continue like this for billions of years - until it runs out of hydrogen to process into helium.
2007-04-02 10:22:45 · answer #4 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually the heat you feel from the sun is radiation and that doesn't need any matter to spread itself
2007-04-02 10:23:31 · answer #5 · answered by Ramon F 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its the same as leaving popcorn in the microwave oven too long, radiation cooks unevenly then starts to char, then burns to a crisp if left in long enough. air is really not a necessary component
2007-04-02 10:32:53 · answer #6 · answered by robert r 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋