Here's how it works:
* Nuclear Fusion: In the Sun's core, the intense pressure and heat force hydrogen atoms to fuse together, creating helium. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy, which is what makes the Sun shine and heat the Earth.
* Not Burning: While we often say the Sun is "burning", it's not a chemical combustion like we see on Earth. There's no oxygen involved.
So, the Sun is not burning a gas in the traditional sense, but rather converting hydrogen into helium through nuclear fusion, which releases energy in the form of light and heat.