hydrogen fusion
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How a Star Expands
Meet Betelgeuse, a bright star in the winter constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is a cool red supergiant that we’ll talk about a lot more in just a couple weeks, when we cover variable stars. Not too long ago, it was the…
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Stars: The Limits of “Normal”
How big — or small — can a star get? As with most questions in astronomy, the answer to that is not definitive. But stellar models can give us a pretty good idea. Mathematical models of stars tell us that…
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Energy Flow from the Sun’s Core
Ask any climate scientist how we should power our world without fossil fuels, and they’re bound to tell you about wind and solar power. You might be surprised to know that both of these come from the sun. Solar panels…
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The Proton-Proton Chain
Take a wild guess: how much energy do you think the sun generates? Think about it. It definitely generates enough energy to power a world. Humans depend on the photosynthesis of plants, which converts sunlight into energy. And that’s not…
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Types of Stars
Meet the sun: a G2 class star towards the middle of its lifespan. Wait a second…G2? What does that even mean? It’s all part of a way astronomers break down the billions of stars in the sky and organize them…
