Question

Stars will be producing heat energy and light because of the fusion of______________.
A. oxygen
B. hydrogen
C. helium
D. ozone

Answer 1

Hint: Nuclear fusion is defined as a process or a reaction in which two or more nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles like neutrons or protons. The mass difference between the reactants and products is used as either the release or the absorption of energy. This difference in the mass is due to the difference in the atomic binding energy between the nuclei before and after the reaction.

Complete answer:
It has been found that the energy released from the nuclear fusion reactions will account for the longevity of stellar heat and light. The fusion of the nuclei in a star beginning from the initial hydrogen and helium abundance, will provide enough energy and will produce new nuclei. Various chains of reactions are involved which is dependent on the mass of the star and hence the pressure and temperature in its core. Therefore the basic source of solar energy or the similar kind of stars is through the fusion of hydrogen to form helium by the proton-proton chain reaction, which is happening at a solar-core temperature of fourteen million kelvin. The resultant outcome is the fusion of four protons into one alpha particle by the release of two positrons and two neutrinos which varies two of the protons into neutrons and also the energy.

Therefore the answer has been obtained as option B.

Note:
In the heavier stars, the CNO cycle and other processes are very important. As a star is using a major fraction of its hydrogen, it starts to produce heavier elements. The heaviest elements are produced by the fusion that happens if a more massive star is undergoing a violent supernova at the end of its life. This process is referred to as supernova nucleosynthesis.