What fuels the sun

1. What fuels the sun How Fuelish is the Sun?

2. Life Expectancy of Sun ? What if the source of the Sun’s energy was the combustion of coal? (carbon) C + O2 CO2 1 ton + 2.5 tons 3.5 tons 1.6 x 1016 tons/sec of coal needed to account for the Sun’s energy output. Mass of Sun = 4.5 x 1026 tons

3. Coal-Computation Potential Life expectancy of the Sun using energy generated by combustion of Coal. ---------------------- = ----------------------- = Mass of Sun 4.5 x 1026 tons 2.8125 x 1010 seconds Combustion/sec 1.6 x 1016 tons/sec ------------------------------- = 2.8125 x 1010 seconds 0.886 x 103 years 3.16 x 107 sec/year Sun would only last 886 years……. Unfortunately ….. CO2 would smother the reaction !!

4. Life Expectancy of Sun ? What if the source of the Sun’s energy was the Fusion of Hydrogen into Helium? 4 H He + energy (matter converted to energy) 4(1.0079) 4.003 + (4.0316 – 4.003= 0.0286 mass units converted to energy) 600 x 106 tons/sec tons of Hydrogen needed to account for the Sun’s energy output. Mass of Sun = 4.5 x 1026 tons

5. Fusion-Computation Potential Life expectancy of the Sun using energy generated by Fusion of H into He. ------------------------- = ----------------------- = Mass of Sun 4.5 x 1026 tons 7.5 x 1017 seconds Energy from fusion/sec 600 x 106 tons/sec ------------------------------- = 7.5 x 1017 seconds 2.37 x 1010 years 3.16 x 107 sec/year Sun has enough H for 23,700,000,000 years From what astronomers have observed …. Stars like our Sun build a core of Helium that stops the fusion of Hydrogen after about 10 billion years causing the star to expand into a Red Giant that will envelope the Earth. That will happen about 5 billion years from now …. Be prepared to MOVE!