Skip to main content

Why is the sun hot?

Heat is a form of energy produced by the sun, but how is it created or emitted? 


The sun is a star, and like Earth, is composed of several layers of matter. Unlike the outermost layer, or lithosphere, which is solid the inner layers of Earth are liquid. The gravitational force of our planet pulls all matter towards its center, creating an enormous amount of pressure. To get an idea of the effect this pressure has on matter, I will use the example of the metals iron and nickel. The increased pressure in the outer core causes these elements, normally solids on the lithosphere, to liquify.


The most abundant elements found on the Sun are hydrogen and helium. Hydrogen, which is the first element on the Periodic Table of Elements, contains one proton and one electron and is a flammable gas. Helium, the second element, contains two protons and two electrons and is more stable by comparison. Hydrogen's reactivity is due to the single electron in a shell that can hold two. Helium's two electrons makes its shell relatively stable.


The increased pressure in the inner layers of the Sun causes atoms to behave differently than we might experience on the lithosphere of Earth. Similar to Earth, the increase in pressure generates heat. Unlike on Earth, the hydrogen ignites. This reaction is called nuclear fusion; the results being that two hydrogen atoms combine to create one helium atom. The combination of two hydrogen atoms into one helium atom results in an excess of energy, which is then released in the form of light and the heat of solar wind.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more