Question on hydrogen.?

Question

As every schoolgirl/boy knows, fusion within stars results in the formation of helium from hydrogen. Does this mean, then, that evenually the amount of hydrogen in the universe will be insufficient to enable the creation of new stars? Or, are there some processes going on in the universe that result the creation of new hydrogen to replace the hydrogen used up in star fusion?

Answer 1

What you talking about is the best models science can come with at this time. The real universe most likely works differently than what you are being told in school because its just models that is studied. Everything observed is made to suit the current thinking about models rather than how the real universe actually is and works. Its not good but its all there is at this time and the current state of the art.

Answer 2

>As every schoolgirl/boy knows, fusion within stars results in the formation of helium from hydrogen. Does this mean, then, that evenually the amount of hydrogen in the universe will be insufficient to enable the creation of new stars?

Yes. Provided we don't have some sort of dark energy disaster, the stars in our universe will eventually all go nova and collapse into dead stellar objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes), with not enough hydrogen and helium left to make new stars of our sort. Over time, some stars may collide with each other and cause short bursts of fusion as higher elements are fused. Eventually the Universe will be dominated by iron (that being the low point of nuclear energy), with many 'iron stars' that slowly cool and fade over the course of trillions of years. In the far distant future, all the remaining objects will finally have cooled down, and everything outside the interiors of black holes will be frozen near absolute zero. The star-studded skies we know will no longer exist; the skies on all the remaining planets will be pitch black. Finally, at around ten thousand trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion years from now, the last stellar objects will have finally evaporated, and the remaining matter and energy will have dissipated across the vast reaches of space. This is known as the Heat Death, and is usually regarded as the end of the Universe as we know it (since no life will be able to survive with so little energy available). Yes, it sounds rather bleak and hopeless, but that's only because...it is.

You can read more about the Heat Death and the future of the Universe here:
http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/timeline/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe

Answer 3

Some scientists predict just that. The Universe will eventually burn out and suffer a "heat death" as the usable energy via laws of entropy runs out and insufficient material exists to sustain fusion reactions. A now discredited theory, known as the Steady State Theory believed that somehow, someway, new material for star making just kind of "Popped up" out of nowhere, and so there's always new materials for star making and that the Universe is therefore 1) Spatially infinite and 2) Eternal in age.

However, due to the development in Quantum Mechanics regarding the Quantum Soup that is known to exist at the sub-Planck level, the creation of new particles can happen spontaneously, and does so all the time, although most immediately annihilate themselves and collapse. An infinitesimally tiny percentage become part of the physical universe. According to one Quantum Theorist, there's enough energy in one cubic centimeter of pure void (empty space) to boil all the oceans of the earth!

To get an idea of how small sub-Planck is, let's imagine you are an electron. If I existed at the sub-Planck region, if you were the size of the Sun, I'd be about the size of an asteroid!

Answer 4

Yes, and that is a popular argument used by creationists. That the universe should have run down by now.

In fact, the Sun gives off tons of protons every second, which are hydrogen nuclei, and form more hydrogen.

Some theories are that black holes generate energy using gravity waves, and that energy equates to new matter being produced outside the black hole.

Answer 5

correct. but it would take a lnog time for every star to burn out, and then you have to take into account the massive area of the universe that are still creating stars. and then the fact that massive stars dont always go through their supply of hydrogen before the go supernova, which would reseed the area with hydrogen.

almost every scenario possible for the end of the universe says it will happen before all of this happens. in fact the only one that doesnt (that ive heard) is heat death, which would take place in trillions of years.

Answer 6

Correct but then by that time the universe would have expanded beyond the point that anything can form including helium and hydrogen.

Answer 7

The universe is living on borrowed time, energy and entropy ever since its first femtosecond. It is living quiet well, though, and will continue to do so for tens of billions of years. Unless you have a theological need for "eternity" this is quite an easy fact to accept and deal with emotionally. To a physicist it is just a fact. No emotions involved.

Answer 8

If you wish to know about gases in space please take a look at some of the photos at

www.takahashiamerica.com

See their galleries and look at the amazing photos of nebula.

Immense clouds of gases and dust exist in the Universe...beyond your wildest imagination.

Answer 9

stars are born in nebulas anyways,, they make them in the nebula,,