What causes the sun & other stars to remain stable over time?
1 Answer
Jun 5, 2017
The Sun and other main sequence stars are in hydrostatic equilibrium.
Explanation:
The Sun and other main sequence stars are fusing Hydrogen into Helium in their cores. They need to be in balance.
Gravity caused by the mass of the star is trying to compress the core. Thermal pressure from the fusion reactions are trying to expand the core outwards.
When gravity and thermal pressures balance each other out, the star is said to be in hydrostatic equilibrium. This makes stars stable for long periods of time.
This stability lasts until the equilibrium is broken. This happens when the star runs out of Hydrogen in its core and the thermal pressure is not sufficient to overcome gravity.
