- #1
pzona
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I was reading something the other day on spectral readings from the sun, and I have a few questions regarding its composition.
I know that there are heavier elements (gold, uranium, etc.) in the sun. I'm confused by this, as I didn't think there was enough energy to form such elements. My knowledge of nuclear fusion is pretty limited, although I understand the very basic concepts of it. Do these elements actually form in our sun? Or are they leftover from a supernova in the past?
I also understand from the solar spectrum that lower mass nuclei form in the sun, such as sodium. Is there really enough energy to form such elements, and if so, in what amounts are they present?
I apologize for my lack of knowledge on this, but it's kind of contradictory to what I thought I knew before. I took an astronomy course senior year in high school and it gave me the impression that helium and maybe carbon were the heaviest elements our sun could produce, so I'm a little confused by this. Thanks in advance for any answers.
I know that there are heavier elements (gold, uranium, etc.) in the sun. I'm confused by this, as I didn't think there was enough energy to form such elements. My knowledge of nuclear fusion is pretty limited, although I understand the very basic concepts of it. Do these elements actually form in our sun? Or are they leftover from a supernova in the past?
I also understand from the solar spectrum that lower mass nuclei form in the sun, such as sodium. Is there really enough energy to form such elements, and if so, in what amounts are they present?
I apologize for my lack of knowledge on this, but it's kind of contradictory to what I thought I knew before. I took an astronomy course senior year in high school and it gave me the impression that helium and maybe carbon were the heaviest elements our sun could produce, so I'm a little confused by this. Thanks in advance for any answers.