This is bugging me about the Sun

Well its supposidly a wide known fact space is a vaccum but ive always wondered that without oxygen a flame will just extinguise so how does the the sun givin that its in a vaccum in space actualy burn,what gases make up the sun as well as liquid fuels and metals.

The sun doesn't so much burn as explode steadily. It's based on pressure, much like the pressure in a car's cylinders. If you pressurize something to the point where individual atoms are being forced apart, energy is released through that state transition.

As to the composition of the sun, I believe it's made up almost entirely of Hydrogen.

so i take it the vaccum acts like the pressure in which its contained

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Originally posted by Rugoolian
so i take it the vaccum acts like the pressure in which its contained

???????????????????

Not exactly. Their is little pressure in space. The pressure of the sun comes from the concentration of matter congealed into a ball, just like the earth, except for one thing - the sun is in a state of constant nuclear reaction where it converts Hydrogen into Helium while releasing energy and neutrinos.
This energy comes in all forms and one of them is increased pressure. Without this reaction, the matter would condense into a much smaller, colder, and less impressive sun - life would end as we know it too.

It is not so much that the sun needs oxygen to burn. It is a form of plasma, just like a fluorescent light, which gives off energy in the form of light and a little heat, yet there is no oxygen in a fluorescent tube - only inert gas that is excited to a plasma state by a high voltage.

[edit on 2-1-2005 by ben91069]

Litle more initiative, people. (and less wrong information/WAGs)

I bet this has been discussed dozens time in here, here's newest one:
Astronomy: Lives of Stars

www.solarviews.com...
science.howstuffworks.com...
en.wikipedia.org...
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...

And even simple Google search with few words would have been easily sufficient.



Pressure and temperature of sun comes (originally) from gravity of all that matter which compressed matter of sun to smaller and smaller space until pressure and temperature was enough to "ignite" fusion reaction which started releasing energy and fighting against compression of matter caused by its gravity. So currently sun is in balance between these two forces, if fusion reaction would be shutted down sun would collapse to neutron star because there wouldn't be anything fighting against gravity.

And in astrnomy burning means generally fusion.

[edit on 3-1-2005 by E_T]

Originally posted by E_T
Litle more initiative, people. (and less wrong information/WAGs)

I bet this has been discussed dozens time in here, here's newest one:
Astronomy: Lives of Stars

www.solarviews.com...
science.howstuffworks.com...
en.wikipedia.org...
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...

And even simple Google search with few words would have been easily sufficient.



Pressure and temperature of sun comes (originally) from gravity of all that matter which compressed matter of sun to smaller and smaller space until pressure and temperature was enough to "ignite" fusion reaction which started releasing energy and fighting against compression of matter caused by its gravity. So currently sun is in balance between these two forces, if fusion reaction would be shutted down sun would collapse to neutron star because there wouldn't be anything fighting against gravity.

And in astrnomy burning means generally fusion.

[edit on 3-1-2005 by E_T]

Actually, for not being in nuclear science fields, the couple of people that tried to help out the first were pretty accurate. The information you provided is basically the same, but more advanced. This is due to you using a search engine and not your intellect. For instance, Litle, is actually spelled "Little". Also, it is "Astronomy".....not astrnomy.

P.S. Its a good thing that someone is trying to learn, even if it has been discussed before....


[edit on 1/3/2005 by Seapeople]

lol nice condersending reply

The sun is hot not because its 'burning', but because the nuclei of atoms are being forced together under the intense gravitational pressure, this is releasing so much energy that it comes out looking like its one fire.

thanks for all the info i tried searching for it but im not that sure on how to use the search on ATS im a dum dum sorry, but thats cleared a lot up

Actually, for not being in nuclear science fields, the couple of people that tried to help out the first were pretty accurate. The information you provided is basically the same, but more advanced. This is due to you using a search engine and not your intellect. For instance, Litle, is actually spelled "Little". Also, it is "Astronomy".....not astrnomy.

P.S. Its a good thing that someone is trying to learn, even if it has been discussed before....

Before commenting on spelling/grammar, remember that English isn't everyone's first language... I've seen enough from E_T not to doubt the intellect there, hehe.... And I've been corrected on astronomy-related items a few times by him, off the cuff, hehe... Still, a little less condescending would be appreciated, and we're all guilty of it from time to time (sadly), especially within our chosen areas of expertise....

That said, I believe the original question is pretty much answered above....