Why the sun didn't absorb heavy elements from early solar system?

In summary: The planets lost most of their hydrogen and helium because those elements were too light to hold onto. The heavy elements reside in the photosphere now.
  • #1
arman4
4
0
Hi,

ive been studying formation of solar system and couldn't find an
explanation for why the sun didn't absorb heavy elements from
early solar system? why they remained around the sun and formed
planets and not get absorbed to the centre?

thanks in advance
 
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  • #2
Probably for the same reason the sun does not "absorb" the planets!
 
  • #3
HallsofIvy said:
Probably for the same reason the sun does not "absorb" the planets!

I dunno... Virtual gnomes don't allow it?

They're too 'heavy'? That's at least part of it, right? Inknowledge me!
 
  • #4
arman4 said:
Hi,

ive been studying formation of solar system and couldn't find an
explanation for why the sun didn't absorb heavy elements from
early solar system? why they remained around the sun and formed
planets and not get absorbed to the centre?

thanks in advance
There are heavy elements in the sun. The four inner planets lost most of their hydrogen and helium because these elements were too light to hold onto.
 
  • #5
mathman said:
There are heavy elements in the sun. The four inner planets lost most of their hydrogen and helium because these elements were too light to hold onto.

thanks, that seems correct, but where do these heavy elements reside in the sun?
 
  • #6
arman4 said:
thanks, that seems correct, but where do these heavy elements reside in the sun?

There are heavy elements throughout the Sun. The photosphere now has about 16% less heavy elements than it did 4 billion years ago, as the heavy elements have settled slightly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Chemical_composition

The gas and dust that formed the solar system had various elements throughout the cloud. During collapse the elements near the center were pulled in and formed the Sun, while the little that remained out of the Sun formed the planets, asteroids, and other small bodies.
 
  • #7
thank you for your complete answer, that cleared my confusion completely
 
  • #8
arman4 said:
Hi,

ive been studying formation of solar system and couldn't find an
explanation for why the sun didn't absorb heavy elements from
early solar system? why they remained around the sun and formed
planets and not get absorbed to the centre?

thanks in advance

There are plenty of heavy elements in the sun. It's probably more than on all the planets combined.
 

1. Why did the sun not absorb heavy elements from the early solar system?

The sun formed from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula. As this cloud collapsed, the temperature and pressure at its center increased, causing nuclear fusion to occur. This fusion process converts hydrogen into helium and releases a tremendous amount of energy, creating the sun. However, the temperatures and pressures were not high enough in the sun's core to fuse heavier elements, so they were not absorbed into the sun.

2. Were heavy elements present in the early solar system at all?

Yes, heavy elements such as iron, oxygen, and carbon were present in the early solar system. These elements were created through nuclear fusion in the cores of massive stars, which then exploded in supernovae and scattered these elements into space. These elements then became incorporated into the gas and dust that formed the solar nebula.

3. How did heavy elements end up in planets and other celestial bodies?

As the solar nebula cooled and condensed, it formed a spinning disk with the sun at its center. This disk eventually coalesced into planets, moons, and other celestial bodies. The heavier elements, which were more dense than the lighter gases, were drawn towards the center of the disk and became incorporated into the cores of these bodies. This process is known as differentiation.

4. Could the sun absorb heavy elements in the future?

No, the conditions in the sun's core are not suitable for the fusion of heavy elements. The sun is currently in the middle of its main sequence stage, where it fuses hydrogen into helium. As the sun ages, it will eventually run out of hydrogen and begin to fuse helium. However, the temperatures and pressures in the sun's core will still not be high enough to fuse heavier elements.

5. How do we know that the sun did not absorb heavy elements from the early solar system?

Scientists have studied the chemical composition of the sun and compared it to the chemical composition of meteorites, which are remnants of the early solar system. They have found that the sun's composition is primarily made up of hydrogen and helium, with only trace amounts of heavier elements. This supports the theory that the sun did not absorb heavy elements during its formation.

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