The reason why the Sun burns without O2 (Oxygen) in Space

I remember that in my previous post entitled " Get to know why fire is hot ". I briefly explained that fire is the result of a chemical reaction in which oxygen molecules breaking to produce energy.

Fuel + O2 = xCO2 + yH2O+More Energy
so in the combustion process produce carbon dioxide, water, and excess energy as well. and that energy is the remaining energy in the chemical process that it required less than produced, so the excess energy is released and produces heat and light energy in the form of fire as we usually see.

so, By observing and understanding how the chemical process of fire is formed, of course we would think about how the sun in space burns while there is no oxygen there ??? ...

well honestly, oxygen exists in outer space .., several years ago scientists have managed to find the existence of oxygen in outer space. however, the existence of oxygen outside space is very small in number and limited to certain places.

the existence of oxygen molecules that have been identified outside the earth is in the Orion Nebula which is shaped like a cloud. It is suspected that these are O2 and H2O atoms that freeze into dust grains. however, the amount of oxygen molecules in the Orion nebula is measly.

and recently scientists have succeeded in detecting the presence of oxygen molecules outside the Milky Way galaxy, that located in the Markarian 231 galaxy, which is about 561 million light-years away from us. This discovery is a great history that for the first time humans found oxygen molecules outside our galaxy.

image credit : NASA & ESA : 2008. Public Domain
"The extraordinary galaxy UGC 8058, also known as Markarian 231, was discovered in 1969 as part of a survey looking for galaxies with strong ultraviolet radiation. It has a long tidal tail and a disrupted shape. The results from the first spectrum show clear signs of the presence of a strong quasar in the center which makes Markarian 231 unique in the Markarian sample.." (From Wikipedia)

It's estimated that the number of oxygen molecules found in the Markarian Galaxy 231 is 100 times more than the oxygen molecules previously found in the Orion nebula. this could also be an indication that there are opportunities to find another life beyond Earth. however so far there have been no further developments of this discovery.

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however, despite the success of scientists in finding molecular oxygen in outer space. it's not meaningless at all, because in fact in the Milky Way galaxy only on the earth there is an abundance of oxygen which allows all creatures like humans, animals, and plants to breathe freely.

and the astronauts must still wear their full outfit which is equipped with oxygen cylinders while in space. of course it is not uncommon that an astronaut must carry oxygen to be able to explore in outer space.

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The sun is one of the billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. and as we've previously known that in the Milky Way galaxy only the earth is a place where there is a lot of oxygen stock, while the findings of oxygen molecules in the Orion nebula are only a small part.

so back to our topic, that if there is no oxygen in outer space or a place where the sun is, then how can the sun still burn?

well, Unlike the burning process on earth that we often do which requires oxygen, the combustion process in the sun is clearly very different and the main difference is that burning in the sun does not need oxygen at all.

The chemical process that making the sun has energy is known as the nuclear fusion process. which is the process when one proton hits another proton so hard that they stick together and release a certain amount of energy as well. This energy then heats up the protons and other electrons nearby. this process happens in the core of the sun and this heating produces a huge amount of energy and continues to grow until it is out of the core of the sun. The energy released by the sun is in the form of light and heat energy that we used to know.

so basically, This reaction converts hydrogen into helium atoms. and from this process the sun has energy. this process is a chain reaction and will continue to occur as long as the sun's helium stocks are last.

Proton-proton chain reaction is one of the processes by which stars fuse hydrogen into helium
image credit: Doktor C. used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License

as we see that the fusion process begins with the presence of protons or hydrogen atoms colliding with each other. and form deuterium or Hydrogen 2 and a neutron. then deuterium collides with the proton again and produces Helium-3 atoms and emits Gamma Ray. then Helium-3 then undergoes fusion with other Helium-3 atoms to form Helium-4 and releases 2 new protons. The new protons will then repeat the fusion reaction from the beginning.

what an amazing cycle, right?

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How long this current fusion reaction will last ?

don't worry guys !, that time is still a long way off. it's about 5 billion years away to the sun is predicted to run out of hydrogen. and when that time comes, like stars in general, the sun will lose its energy and become a dead star. and what will happen when the sun dies? well, maybe it will be the end of life on earth.

Conclusion

even though there is no oxygen in space, there are still flames in the sun as we often see on earth. however, the flames in the sun are not formed from chemical reactions due to the destruction of oxygen molecules to produce energy as we often see on earth.

what happens in the sun is a nuclear fusion reaction, which is a process of fusing two atomic nuclear to produce a new atom with a heavier nucleus and producing enormous energy. this process makes the sun has lots of heat and light energy. and this fusion reaction will continue in the core of the sun as long as these supplies of atoms last. and it is estimated that these supplies will still be able to survive for a long time in the future.

created by Sunny cup/uploaded in Wattpad src

References

1. https://www.space.com/14732-sun-burns-star-death.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion
3. https://www.euro-fusion.org/fusion/fusion-on-the-sun/
4. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/05/why-there-so-little-breathable-oxygen-space
5. https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-molecular-oxygen-has-been-found-in-another-galaxy
6. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/molecular-oxygen-galaxy-life-universe-space-breathable-a9351226.html
7. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/markarian-231-galaxy-breathable-oxygen
8. https://mollysscienceblog.wordpress.com/welcome-to-space/why-is-there-no-oxygen-in-space/
9. https://ecency.com/hive-196387/@arnol99/get-to-know-why-fire-is-hot