How is light generated/emitted from stars?

[Starstruck]

My name is Landon Taylor and I am a Senior at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. I am currently enrolled in Chemistry Seminar class. The majority of the class is based on a Presentation of a chemistry topic of your choice. I have chosen the topic "How is light generated/emitted from stars?". I am having some trouble finding (reliable) information regarding this topic. I was wondering if anyone here could possibly help direct me in the right direction or provide me with some reliable sources. Thank you.

[insane_alien]

http://science.howstuffworks.com/sun-info.htm this should start you off and give you some useful terms to search from.

 

basically nuclear fusion occurs in the core and heats up the sun. hot things radiate electromagnetic radiation(light, heat, ultraviolet etc.).

[Klaynos]

The fusion in the centre gives off some photons (gamma rays) these are absorbed and reemitted, this emission is at a slightly lower energy and is in a random direction, this random walk takes thousands of years for photons to leave the core and escape the surface... I think the wikipedia page on the sun covers this a bit, and might have some better references, I can't remember what texts we used for my course on this...

 

And here we have one...

 

http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2007/locations/ttt_sunlight.php

---

Merged post follows:

Consecutive posts merged

For info on the fusion process, have a look at:

 

CNO cycle

 

and

 

proton-proton chain (this is what our sun does for the most part)

[walsh155]

i ve liked astronomy since i was 11 and im 13 now I think stars give off light as a form of energy being emmited the nuclear core the reactor of the star produces enough heat converting hydrogen into helium when this is taking place it is emmited as heat and light and probbably some solar wind is likely and also some gravitational pull

:-)

[Starstruck]

After a couple of days of research I feel that I have the bulk of my study. But i feel sort of skeptic towards my obtained view of the entire process of how light is emitted from the star. Every resource I have researched gives me a part of the process, but never the entire story, from beginning to end. I am confident in the information I have, I just feel as if I am piecing the puzzle in the wrong sequence and I am not getting the whole picture, or that I am missing some steps in between. Or possible I have the correct information and its just going straight over my head (most likely the ladder). Maybe I need a children's translation of the process. Is there any other resource or way that I can assure myself and be confident in my knowledge. The only reason I push is because my information on the subject must be very descriptive and easily taught to others. Thank you again. You have already severely advanced my knowledge of anything past the Ozone.

[Caleb]

After a couple of days of research I feel that I have the bulk of my study. But i feel sort of skeptic towards my obtained view of the entire process of how light is emitted from the star. Every resource I have researched gives me a part of the process, but never the entire story, from beginning to end. I am confident in the information I have, I just feel as if I am piecing the puzzle in the wrong sequence and I am not getting the whole picture, or that I am missing some steps in between. Or possible I have the correct information and its just going straight over my head (most likely the ladder). Maybe I need a children's translation of the process. Is there any other resource or way that I can assure myself and be confident in my knowledge. The only reason I push is because my information

on the subject must be very descriptive and easily taught to others. Thank you again. You have already severely advanced my knowledge of anything past the Ozone.

 

To start out with, as nuclear fusion starts occuring, hydrogen is transformed into helium through different processes like the proton-proton reaction pathway as shown:

 

H + H => D + neutrino + positron + .42MeV

D + H => He2 + γ + 5.49MeV

He2 + He2 => He2 + 2H + 12.86MeV

 

This starts occuring at 4000000K, as gravity pulls in all of the starting materials and reaches this temperature, hydrogen starts fusing together creating deutrium (isotope of hydrogen), positrons and neutrinos plus some energy. Then, the deutrium starts fusing with some more hydrogen creating some helium 3 and gamma rays as Klaynos had said. Which evetually reaches the edge of the sun, making it shine.

 

I hope that helps a bit.

[insane_alien]

i think you mean He-3 in your reactions there.

[Caleb]

Thanks for correcting me,