if their no oxygen in space how can the sun burn?

Question

doesnt fire need oxygen to burn

Answer 1

Its not normal fire like in a campfire or fireplace. Those and all other fires are the chemical combustion of fuel (like wood or paper).
The sun is a nuclear reactor, fusing hydrogen to helium. Like a nuclear power plant, this reaction is at the atomic/molecular level, not the relatively simple chemical process of ordinary fire. The fustion process releases a lot more heat and light than ordinary fire.

So the sun doesn't need oxygen to burn because its not on fire.

Answer 2

OOOPS... Major Error.

The Sun is not burning, as in oxidation, such as with fires here on Earth. The Sun is powered by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium on an immense scale in the core of the Sun. This same process is going on in all stars. No Oxygen is required for that process.

When all the hydrogen within a given star is used up (death of the star) then fusion of helium into other elements begins and the star cools down somewhat, also expanding in size by three fold or four fold and absorbing all nearby planets and moons.

Answer 3

The sun doesn't "burn" in the sense you mean--by chemical compustion. The light and heat of the sun are produced by the fusion of hydrogen into helium in th esun's core. That's a nuclear reaction, not a chemical one, and doesn't require any oxygen or anything else to produce its energy.

Answer 4

The sun is not on fire, and does not burn as you may believe. The sun undergoes nuclear fusion. That is the nuclei of 2 hydrogen atoms fuse and helium is then formed. When this happens a tremendous amount of energy is released. This is what powers the sun, not burning.

Answer 5

The sun does not burn. It undergoes fusion in the core becuase of enormous pressure. Isotopes of hydrogen fuse to make helium. Fusion doesn't require oxygen.

Answer 6

The sun don't "burn."
It is in effect a giant fusion reactor not a chemical process and therefore does not need oxygen.

Answer 7

There isn't any "fire" burning. What happens there on the sun is called "fusion". It happens deep within the sun where the forces of gravity and contrary expansion of gas are big enough to generate enough pressure and heat to "self-ignite" this fusion.

Answer 8

The sun some how creats its own type of gas to stay on fire. The question I would ask is "what started the sun on fire and what ever it was how did it just magically know that the sun was ever lasting flamible? But yes the sun is a long lession to be learned.

Answer 9

This same question had been asked recently.
The answers were all correct and answerers were very kind.
Rapid oxidation is ordinary burning.
Nuclear fusion at the sun is not oxidation.

Answer 10

It's not "burning" - it's a nuclear reaction.

Good thing, too. If it was burning, the smoke would block out the rays.