🏆 which
Which Gas Makes Up Most of the Sun?
Quick Answer
Hydrogen constitutes about 73 % of the Sun's mass.
The Full Story
The Sun is composed of approximately 73 % hydrogen and 25 % helium by mass, with the remaining 2 % consisting of heavier elements like oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron. In its core, hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium at temperatures of about 15 million °C, releasing the energy that powers the Sun. The Sun converts roughly 600 million tonnes of hydrogen into helium every second. After about 5 billion more years, the Sun will exhaust its core hydrogen and expand into a red giant.
Key Facts
1.The Sun has been fusing hydrogen for about 4.6 billion years.
2.Each second, about 4 million tonnes of mass are converted to energy via E = mc².
3.Helium was first discovered on the Sun (via spectroscopy in 1868) before being found on Earth.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Powered by Hydrogen — The Chemistry of the Sun"
Was this answer helpful?
Tap a reaction — it helps us pick what to cover next.