Why is our Sun not forming carbon and heavier elements yet?
What will be an ideal response?
It still has plenty of hydrogen in its core to give off enough radiation pressure to keep the core stable. When the helium content becomes much higher, gravity will cause the core to again start contracting, to finally reach a temperature of 100 million K and fuse helium into carbon at last.
You might also like to view...
What source of energy might keep water beneath the surface of Enceladus liquid?
A) tidal heating only B) radioactive decay only C) tidal heating and radioactive decay D) heat released from a partially molten core
Which of these were observed from Earth, prior to spacecraft missions to Mars?
A) seasonal changes in the polar caps B) eruptions of Mount Olympus C) dust storms capable of covering the entire planet D) Both A and C are correct. E) All of the above are correct.
Compared to the recoiling cannon, a fired cannonball has a
A) greater momentum. B) greater kinetic energy. C) smaller speed. D) all of the above
A star is seen to have two transiting planets. Planet 1 transits every 3 months, and Planet 2 transits every 15 months. What can we infer about their orbits?
A) Planet 2's semimajor axis is larger than Planet 1's. B) Planet 1's orbit is more eccentric than Planet 2's. C) Planet 2's orbit is more eccentric than Planet 1's. D) Planet 1's semimajor axis is larger than Planet 2's.