Question

How is sunlight made?

Answer 1

Hint : The fusion reactions taking place inside the sun are responsible for the emission of sunlight which is a form of energy. The luminosity of the sun is $3.8 \times {10^6}$ which requires around $8.7 \times {10^{37}}$ fusion reactions to take place in a single second.

Complete Step-by-step solution: The fusion reaction is produced by the conversion of isotopes Hydrogen atoms (Deuterium and Tritium) into Helium nuclei which produces a huge amount of energy in the form of heat as a byproduct which we call as sunlight. This reaction takes place due to the immense amount of pressure and high temperature at the core of the sun. The balanced nuclear fusion reaction is as follows:
${H_1}^2 + {H_1}^3 \to H{e_2}^4 + {n_1}^0$
The fusion reaction can only happen with elements that have low atomic numbers. This reaction cannot happen naturally as it requires very high temperature and pressure. The solar energy produced due to this reaction is of great help to us because it is a renewable source of energy and will never finish.
The sunlight takes $8.3$ minutes to reach the Earth. The sun also emits various other electromagnetic waves such as X-rays, visible light, infrared and radio waves.

Note: The sunlight consists of the visible light, ultraviolet rays and infrared radiation which are emitted by the sun; it varies on how cloudy the sky is. The more clouds in the sky, the less sunlight we get. It also depends on the position of the sun in the sky. In the early morning and early evening, it is minimum while during the afternoon it reaches its maximum value.