The Sun's Interior Structure
THE SUN'S CORE:
The core is the ONLY place where thermonuclear fusion occurs because it possesses a high enough temperature and density. For instance, the Sun's core produces:Lo = 4 x 1026 Watts!! (that's about ~billion x billion x billion Watts!)
Photons and
neutrinos are produced in the core. Neutrinos escape directly. Photons
(carrying heat energy) take considerably longer to escape.
RADIATIVE ZONE:So called because the energy is transported out via RADIATION. Though it does so in a random walk.
CONVECTIVE ZONE:Here, the heat energy moves outward via motion of hot material up, cool material down (churning, or boiling motion). |
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Stars are always losing energy to space (mostly as photons). Where does this energy come from?
Can they continue to lose energy for ever???
What happens when the star runs of out of fuel??