All of the atoms in the universe began as hydrogen. Nuclear Reactions in Stars The energy of the stars comes from nuclear fusion processes. Stellar nucleosynthesis is the process by which elements are created within stars by combining the protons and neutrons together from the nuclei of lighter elements. The energy released from the collapse of the gas into a protostar causes the center of the protostar to become extremely hot. Nuclear Fusion It is a nuclear process, where energy is produced by smashing together light atoms. Silicon Fusion: Silicon fusion in stars is the last stage of fusion. A star lives while there’s balance between the outward push of energy from nuclear fusion and the inward press of gravity. The energy that process releases is actually what keeps the star’s gravity from collapsing it entirely. The fourth possible fusion process creates sulfur-31 plus a neutron, and it releases 1.459 MeV. The fusion of hydrogen nuclei uses up hydrogen to produce helium and energy. The Details. Hydrogen is the fuel for the process. As the hydrogen is used up, the core of the star condenses and heats up even more. In cases where the interacting nuclei belong to elements with low atomic numbers (e.g., hydrogen [atomic number 1] or its isotopes deuterium and tritium), substantial amounts of energy are released. Every second, a star like our Sun converts 4 million tons of its material into heat and light through the process of nuclear fusion. The two most prominent reactions that fuse hydrogen into helium are: PP Chain and CNO Cycle. Stars created everything else, including most of the atoms in your body. A fifth possible end-product is sulfur-32 plus a photon, and this releases the most energy of the different oxygen fusion processes, 16.539 MeV. The fusion process forces hydrogen atoms together, transforming them into heavier elements such as helium, carbon and oxygen. It is the opposite reaction of fission, where heavy isotopes are split apart. Fusion inside stars transforms hydrogen into helium, heat, and radiation. When the star dies after millions or billions of years, it may release heavier elements such as gold. This promotes the fusion of heavier and heavier elements, ultimately forming all the elements up to iron. Our Sun has provided an essentially constant amount of heat and light to Earth for about 4.5 billion years. It is also called "hydrogen burning", which should not be confused with the chemical combustion of hydrogen in an oxidizing atmosphere. Fusion is the process by which the sun and other stars generate light and heat. Hydrogen fusion (nuclear fusion of four protons to form a helium-4 nucleus) is the dominant process that generates energy in the cores of main-sequence stars. When the core is hot enough, nuclear fusion commences. is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus Fusion is the process that powers active stars, the hydrogen bomb and experimental devices examining fusion power for electrical generation. Hydrogen fusion is the fundamental nuclear reaction in stars. When the new star reaches a certain size, a process called nuclear fusion ignites, generating the star's vast energy. Nuclear fusion, process by which nuclear reactions between light elements form heavier elements (up to iron). Hydrogen Fusion. Fusion is the process where two hydrogen atoms combine to form a helium atom, releasing energy. In the article of Hertzsprung Russell Diagram, we learnt that any star that is fusing hydrogen in its core is known as a main sequence star.Our Sun is a main sequence star. 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