Lead
The Sun is the only celestial body in the solar system that "burns", which refers to the release of energy through nuclear fusion.
Therefore, the sun is the main energy source for the survival of all living things on the earth, and without the light of the sun, the earth will become cold and dark, and living things will gradually become unable to survive.
At the same time, the sun also makes the earth a vibrant planet by releasing energy into it.
So, how does the sun release such a huge amount of energy?
How did this tremendous energy come about, and how did it continue to be released without exploding?
1. The source of the sun's energy.
The Sun is a star, one of the billions of stars in the universe, and they are called stars because they are all constantly releasing energy, just like our sun.
And one big reason for them to release energy is that they are all engaged in a reaction called nuclear fusion.
The temperature, pressure, and other environments in which the sun is exposed make fusion reactions very suitable for taking place in them, so the sun can continuously extract energy from fusion reactions and release them into the universe.
The sun's nuclear fusion reaction takes place in the interior of the sun, and there are two main conditions required for a nuclear fusion reaction: "temperature" and "pressure".
The nuclear fusion reaction is a very high-energy reaction, so for the fusion reaction to take place, a very high temperature and pressure are required to provide energy.
The interior of the sun is very hot, and the temperature of the sun's core can even reach as high as 15 million degrees Celsius, which is very suitable for nuclear fusion reactions.
There is also a high enough pressure inside the Sun to support fusion reactions, because the interior of the Sun has a very large mass, and their constant movement puts tremendous pressure on the interior of the Sun.
This tremendous pressure is due to the gravitational pull of the sun, so the gravitational pull of the sun is also called "pressure", and it is this gravitational force that allows the interior of the sun to form a very high pressure, which promotes the nuclear fusion reaction.
The nuclear fusion reaction of the sun is mainly carried out by the nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen atoms.
In the core region of the Sun, the density of hydrogen atoms is very high, so hydrogen atoms can easily collide with each other, so that the familiar reaction of hydrogen nuclei can be formed.
In this fusion reaction, about 6 million tons of hydrogen nuclei per second fuse into a helium nucleus, while also releasing a very large amount of energy.
These energies are the light and heat in the sun, which are constantly propagating to the outer part of the sun, then penetrating the outer layers of the sun and finally releasing into the universe around the sun.
This light and heat energy is the energy that the sun releases into the universe, and it is also the energy that the sun is beneficial to the earth.
Therefore, the energy of the sun is mainly derived from the energy released from the nuclear fusion reaction, and the sun will continuously obtain energy from the nuclear fusion reaction and then release it into the universe.
2. Why the sun doesn't explode.
The sun has been burning for 4.6 billion years, and we can see that the sun will continue to burn for another 5 billion years.
So, how does the sun burn steadily?
If all the energy released by the sun exploded at once, then it would be a very huge catastrophe, and all life in the universe would be wiped out as a result.
And how can the sun release energy in a regular way without exploding?
This is because there is a very delicate equilibrium between the sun's gravitational pull and the nuclear fusion reaction.
The sun itself is a huge celestial body, and its mass is very massive, so it creates a very huge gravitational pull.
These gravitational forces are the forces that must be overcome for a fusion reaction between the hydrogen atoms in the sun's interior, so these gravitational forces limit the amount of energy released during the fusion reaction.
If the energy released in the fusion reaction is too small, it will not be able to overcome the gravitational pull of the sun and will not be released from the interior of the sun;
And if too much energy is released in a fusion reaction, it will exceed the gravitational pull of the sun, causing the sun to explode.
As a result, the Sun's gravitational pull keeps the energy released from the fusion reaction in a delicate equilibrium, allowing the Sun to release energy steadily without exploding.
This state of equilibrium between gravity and the energy released during the fusion reaction, also known as hydrostatic equilibrium, is always going on in the interior of the sun.
Therefore, this state is also called the "static state", and the interior of the sun is in this static state, steadily releasing energy, and at the same time, it is constantly obtaining energy from nuclear fusion reactions, so that the sun can burn steadily.
3. The future of the sun.
The sun is 4.6 billion years old since its birth, and the sun can continue to burn for another 5 billion years.
So, how has the sun changed over the past 4.6 billion years?
When the sun was first born, it was rich in hydrogen atoms inside, so there were also abundant hydrogen atoms that released energy into the core of the sun.
In this way, the sun releases a very huge amount of energy that the sun's gravitational pull cannot overcome yet, causing the sun to explode.
But the hydrogen atoms inside the sun are also limited, and when there are fewer and fewer hydrogen atoms releasing energy into the core of the sun, the sun's gravitational pull can finally overcome the energy released from the sun, so that the sun will not explode, but will be able to release energy regularly.
While the sun is constantly releasing energy, the hydrogen atoms inside are constantly undergoing nuclear fusion reactions, so that the sun can continuously obtain energy from nuclear fusion reactions and release it into the universe.
But the inner hydrogen atoms of the sun are finite, and these hydrogen atoms can only burn for a maximum of 5 billion years, and once all these hydrogen atoms are burned out, the sun will die.
There will no longer be hydrogen atoms inside the Sun to carry out fusion reactions, so the Sun will no longer be able to obtain energy from fusion reactions, and the amount of energy that can be released will gradually decrease.
At the same time, the hydrogen atoms in the interior of the Sun will constantly react with other nuclei, and eventually the interior of the Sun will become a giant white dwarf.
White dwarfs no longer derive energy from nuclear fusion reactions and are no longer able to release energy, so eventually the Sun will become very dim, even as dark as its surroundings.
epilogue
The burning of the sun is a huge energy conversion process in nature, and it is the energy of the sun that supports life on the earth and makes the earth a vibrant planet.
At the same time, the combustion of the sun has also inspired human beings to explore and utilize energy, so that human beings continue to develop new energy sources, so as to provide more energy for life on the earth.
However, the energy developed by human beings is still very limited compared with the energy of the sun, so human beings need to cherish the energy they have, and at the same time, they need to pay more attention to the development and utilization of renewable energy, so that life on the earth can be better developed.