I’ve always wondered this. Fire needs oxygen and there is no oxygen in space, how can the sun burn if there is no oxygen in space
Asker: Michel, age 12
Answer
The reason is that the “fire” of the sun is not the result of burning oxygen, but of nuclear fusion.
Thanks to the enormous pressure and temperature in the interior of the sun, this nuclear fusion converts (mainly) hydrogen atoms into heavier elements. This releases such enormous amounts of energy that the sun can continue to “burn through” (produce energy) for billions of years.
This question was answered by:
dr.ir. Jan Bormans
Strategic Advisor
.