The Sun, the largest astro body in the solar system, representing about 98% of the entire mass of the system, is the star that provides us with the light and heat necessary for the maintenance of life on Earth.
The external temperature of our star Rei is approximately 6000º C coming from a large concentration of energy released by its core.
All this energy starts from a nuclear fusion. Four hydrogen nuclei collide to form a helium nucleus. In this process, it turns out that the helium nucleus is less massive than the four hydrogen nuclei. This is because during nuclear fusion a large amount of energy is released.
The temperature in the Sun's core reaches approximately 15,000,000°C, and the pressure is 340 billion times greater than the Earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level (1 atm = 760 mmHg = 1x105 N/m2).
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The energy released by the core is carried to the surface through a process known as thermal convection. About 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted to helium and release about 5 million tons of pure energy. This constant release of energy implies a decrease in the star's mass.
On the sun's surface, spots can be observed from regions of lower temperature, and regions of explosions, which are often much larger than the Earth.
In recent years, the reduction of these spots has worried scientists around the world, as this phenomenon is responsible for the solar winds that help to maintain cosmic radiation far from the center of the solar system, which can hinder the work of astronauts who are not properly protected for this type of radiation.
By Kleber Cavalcante
Graduated in Physics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ALMEIDA, Frederico Borges de. "The Fuel of the Sun"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/o-combustivel-sol.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
Physics
Optical phenomena are events that are very present in our daily lives resulting from the interaction of light with matter. Among the most important optical phenomena, we can highlight reflection, refraction, absorption, scattering and light interference.
