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Is the Sun losing mass constantly?
The Sun actually does lose mass in the process of producing energy. Let us see how much. we find that the Sun loses mass 4.289×1012 g every second to energy. Or, in other units, the Sun loses mass 1.353×1020 g every year to energy.
Mass and energy are interchangeable. So it doesn’t take much mathematical skill to see that a tiny mass can equal big energy. E=mc2 explains why the sun and other stars shine. In their interiors, atoms (mass) fuse together, creating the tremendous energy of the sun as described by Einstein’s famous equation.
Why does the Sun lose mass every second?
The Sun loses 4 million tons of mass per second due to fusion. Fusion wins over solar wind as a stellar diet plan, by about a factor of two or three.
How will the mass of the Sun change over time?
As the Sun converts hydrogen into helium by nuclear fusion there is a decrease in the Sun’s mass, M and the release of energy through electromagnetic and particle radiation. The continued, steady loss of mass from the Sun results in a reduced gravitational attraction and an expansion of the orbits of the planets.
Is the Sun becoming smaller?
For about a billion years, the sun will burn as a red giant. Once all the helium disappears, the forces of gravity will take over, and the sun will shrink into a white dwarf.
What will happen to the Sun if it loses mass?
The Sun consumes mass to produce light. As the Sun loses mass its gravitational pull on the planets weakens slightly. The Sun can’t hold the planets as strongly as it used to, so the planets drift a bit further away from the Sun.
What would happen if the mass of the Sun decreased?
When the mass of the sun decreases, the strength of the gravitational pull decreases. Consequently the planets will break off from their orbits. Once the Earth loses it’s heat from the sun all life on earth will perish. If that isn’t enough fall through space could land us in a black whole or crash into commet.
What happens if the sun loses mass?