The sun releases energy through a remarkable process known as nuclear fusion, which unfolds under the extreme temperatures and densities found deep within its core. Unlike the nuclear fission reactions used on Earth, which split atomic nuclei to release energy, the sun’s energy is generated by combining smaller nuclei into larger, heavier ones. This fusion process is possible because the sun’s core is a plasma with temperatures around 15 million Kelvin, anything colder and it would be a lot harder for nuclear fusion to occur. Within this intensely hot core or “soup” of gas, positively charged nuclei move at incredibly high speeds, occasionally colliding and combining to form larger nuclei. The key to nuclear fusion lies in pushing positively charged nuclei close together to allow the strong force to overcome the electromagnetic repulsion. This process not only powers the sun, giving it its brightness and warmth but also serves as a fundamental difference between the nuclear energy engineered by humans on Earth.
Sources: Photo, Nuclear Fusion
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