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Last Post 3/25/2020 2:29 PM by  Terry Kucera
Sun's fuel/energy
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3/24/2020 6:25 AM
    (from Answer Garden)

    How can one evaluate the sun''s fuel?

    Terry Kucera



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    3/25/2020 2:29 PM
    If you are asking about the fuel the powers the Sun in its core - that is hydrogen combining to form helium and energy in a process called nuclear fusion.
    In nuclear fusion mass is converted into energy.
    That is what Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2 describes.
    "m" is the mass being converted into energy, "E," and "c^2" is the speed of light times itself, which is a very large number:
    c^2= c * c = 299,792 km/s * 299,792 km/s = 90 billion (km/s)^2
    That is a big number so just a little bit of mass gives you a lot of energy!

    Terry
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