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Iron and the Stars
G=EMC^2 Glazier wrote:
The last days of our sun will be when all its fusion fuel is just about used up and finds the iron nucleus is to tightly held together ,and fusion can't take place. The star"s core has been transmuted into iron. Iron atoms in the universe should be very long lasting. How much iron does the sun have now? Is there more iron in the solar system than iron in the sun? Bert I'm going to kick myself for responding, but: The Sun will NOT have a core that was transmuted to iron. It lacks the mass to drive to that process. At best, helium fusion will lead to the formation of carbon and oxygen. But there is insufficient mass in the core to compress and heat this inert mass to the point where it will fuse. Instead, the outer atmosphere will be puffed off over time to form a planetary nebula while the inert carbon/oxygen core cools to become a white dwarf. The estimated iron content of the Sun is about 0.1 percent of its mass. |
#2
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Iron and the Stars
Bert posted:
The last days of our sun will be when all its fusion fuel is just about used up and finds the iron nucleus is to tightly held together ,and fusion can't take place. The star"s core has been transmuted into iron. Bert, the sun isn't massive enough to fuse elements heavier than Helium because the sun doesn't have enough mass to get the core temperature up to that level. Fusion in the core will stop when it has exhausted its supply of core helium and shell Hydrogen, leaving the sun to contract into a white dwarf star made mostly of carbon with a thin upper layer containing lighter elements (some of the original small amounts of Iron which is in the sun today may be still be around in the core). To get much iron produced by fusion in the core of a star requires it to have a *much* higher mass than the sun does. -- David W. Knisely Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/ ********************************************** * Attend the 10th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY * * July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir * * http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org * ********************************************** |
#3
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Iron and the Stars
Hi Scott Instead of kicking yourself let me pat you on the back,and
thank you. I needed that information about the amount of iron in the sun. Using the amount of iron in our sun as a reference frame and comparing it with stars like our sun we can tell how old they are,and their future. Bert |
#4
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Iron and the Stars
Hi Scott You did not like the sun's core transformed into an iron
core(yes) What will be the percentage of iron in its core in 5 billion years when the sun is transformed into a red giant? Could we say the iron atoms make it red? Is it red hot like a red hot poked? Thanks in advance Bert |
#5
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Iron and the Stars
Bert posted:
You did not like the sun's core transformed into an iron core(yes) Bert, he didn't like it because it doesn't happen! The sun is not massive enough to produce iron in the fusion process. The sun will eventually run out of Helium to fuse in its core and will contract into a white dwarf with a core that is mostly made of Carbon (and maybe some Oxygen, plus any residual amounts of iron left over from the original composition of the sun). -- David W. Knisely Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/ ********************************************** * Attend the 10th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY * * July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir * * http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org * ********************************************** |
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