* Fusion: This process involves combining lighter atomic nuclei (like hydrogen) into heavier ones (like helium). This process releases a tremendous amount of energy.
* Fission: This process involves splitting heavy atomic nuclei (like uranium) into lighter ones. It also releases energy, but it's used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons, not in stars like the Sun.
The Sun's Fusion Process:
1. Hydrogen nuclei (protons) collide: Due to the immense pressure and temperature within the Sun's core, hydrogen nuclei (protons) collide with incredible force.
2. Deuterium formation: Two protons fuse to form deuterium, a heavier isotope of hydrogen, releasing a positron (antimatter electron) and a neutrino.
3. Helium formation: Deuterium fuses with another proton to form helium-3, releasing a gamma ray. Two helium-3 nuclei then fuse to form helium-4, releasing two protons.
This chain reaction, known as the proton-proton chain, continuously converts hydrogen into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the form of light and heat.
