Is the Sun a Fusion Reactor?
The sun releases the equivalent energy of an astonishing 91.92 billion megatons of dynamite a second. To put that into perspective, it’s nearly 5000 atom bombs exploding simultaneously, every single second.
With that amount of power, it’s no wonder the sun is the source of all life on earth. Is the sun a nuclear fusion reactor, though? Keep reading to find out.
Nuclear Fusion and Solar Energy
The sun is the central star of our solar system. It is also the source of ALL energy on planet earth.
The sun gives life to the planet through photosynthesis and controls the climate and seasons. The sun creates enough power in about 1.5 microseconds to power the energy needs of the entire world for a year.
The way it creates that power is through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the fusing together of atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures; this gives the sun its almost limitless power.
The Sun as a Fusion Reactor
The sun’s gravity is 28 times greater than that of the earth. This extreme gravity traps hydrogen from the sun’s atmosphere, which then fuels nuclear fusion.
The intense heat of the sun, 27 million degrees Fahrenheit, turns the hydrogen gas into plasma which causes the electrons in the hydrogen atoms to separate from the atom’s nuclei.
The sun’s massive gravity then kicks in, combined with the intense heat, and smashes these hydrogen nuclei into each other to form helium.
In total, four protons formed from the hydrogen smashing into each other make up one helium nucleus. However, the newly formed helium nucleus is slightly lighter than the hydrogen-made protons that formed it, and that difference in mass is released as energy.
It’s a complicated nuclear process, but the hydrogen being smashed and fused into helium in the sun releases 10 million times more energy than when hydrogen and oxygen join to form water.
The Power of the Sun in your Home
Now that we know that the sun is actually a giant solar, nuclear fusion reactor, we can be confident in using that energy in our homes. Solar panels installed in your home by a professional solar company turn the sun’s radiation from that nuclear fusion into electrical power.
A photovoltaic cell absorbs the energy from the sun in the form of photons and turns it into an electrical current. One cell is small, producing only 1 to 2 watts of electricity, but when combined into a solar panel, it can harness more solar energy and output more electricity.
These photovoltaic solar panels pointed toward the sun, capturing the incoming photons. They then take the direct-current electricity produced by the panel and convert it into alternating-current electricity, which you can use to power your appliances.
Harness the Power of the Sun
The sun is a giant nuclear fusion reactor that produces all the energy needed to run our beautiful planet. You can use the fantastic invention of solar panels to harness that natural energy for your own use.
If you haven’t done so yet, invest in solar panels right away. Once you’ve done that, keep browsing for more great articles on lifestyle, technology, and entertainment.
