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Tag Archives: fusion
Blog 3: Fusion
We hear it all the time: Fusion is the future; it’s how the sun creates energy. But, how does it work? At its core, fusion generates energy by converting four hydrogen atoms (protons) into 1 helium atom with two neutrons (Helium-4 ). On the surface, it is hard to see how any energy is created […] Continue reading
Nature’s Closely Guarded Secret – Nuclear Fusion
We are, quite literally, made of stardust. Stars are the birthplace of many of the elements that make up our physical reality as we know it. Heavier elements (heavier than Iron, specifically) were created in a Supernova — a violent explosion of epic proportions at the end of a massive stars life. Inside of every […] Continue reading
Post 3
The sun produces energy via nuclear fusion—that is, it fuses two atoms into one, releasing a tremendous amount of energy in the process. The most common form of fusion in the sun is when hydrogen atoms are fused into helium—giving off energy in the process due to the lost mass. This is the most efficient […] Continue reading
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers our sun, as well as all the other stars in the Universe. At the most basic level, nuclear fusion is the combination of two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier one along with a release of energy. This reaction is governed by Einstein’s E=mc^2 equation, where some […] Continue reading
blog post 03
Nuclear fusion reactions power stars. In nuclear fusion, 2 atoms’ nuclei merge and form a heavier single nucleus. The leftover mass becomes energy. In stars like the Sun, this is generally the transformation of Hydrogen to Helium (proton-proton chain). Other, more massive stars, use the CNO cycle (uses more elements) to accomplish energy transformation. The […] Continue reading
Kepler Supernova
The image above is of Kepler’s Supernova, which Johannes Kepler is credited with discovering with his description of the stellar object in his De Stella Nova. As stars progress through their main sequence lifetime and beyond and use up more of their hydrogen in nuclear fusion, they can fuse heavier and heavier elements. More massive […] Continue reading
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a reaction between molecules where nuclei are combined to form different atomic nuclei and particles, releasing energy. This process powers main sequence stars through stellar nucleosynthesis. Stellar nucleosynthesis can only occur at extremely high temperatures in the cores of stars. Depending on the mass of the stars, i.e. the pressure and temperature […] Continue reading
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is an incredibly interesting topic by which one of the most important parts of our solar system and cosmos utilizes constantly. In the core of our very own sun, hydrogen is converted into helium in a process known as nuclear fusion. In the sun and other stars, Nuclear Fusion reactions power this process […] Continue reading
The Future of Fusion
While stars are powered by nuclear fusion, nuclear reactors here on Earth have yet to make that leap. Fission is our only readily available source of nuclear power, but it is significantly less lucrative than its counterpart. The difference is the process, which combines two isotopes of hydrogen to trigger an energy release instead of […] Continue reading
The Sun’s Nuclear Fusion
The Sun has been producing a huge amount of energy for over 4 billion years through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the Sun converts mass to energy. Albert Einstein’s equation, E=mc^2, reveals that a little bit of mass has a huge amount of potential energy which indicates why the sun has […] Continue reading