Would it be possible to refuel the Sun?

The only fuel the Sun can use for fusion is in the core, which accounts for only 0.8\% of the Sun’s volume and 34\% of its mass. When it uses up that hydrogen in the core, it’ll blow off its outer layers into space and then shrink down into a white dwarf. One idea is that you could crash another star into the Sun.

Could you refuel the Sun with Jupiter?

Well, about 90\% of Jupiter’s atmosphere is made of hydrogen. This makes it one big ball of fuel, even though it’s only 0.01\% the mass of the Sun. With four gas giants in our Solar System, we could keep the Sun sizzling for another 87 million years.

How long till our sun runs out of fuel?

about 5.4 billion years
And, in about 5.4 billion years, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel, marking the end of its main sequence phase. What will inevitably happen next is that the built-up helium in the core will become unstable and collapse under its own weight.

What keeps fueling the Sun?

The sun gets so hot from its nuclear fusion that it glows and emits light, just like how a piece of metal glows red if you heat it up. There are two main forces at work in nuclear fusion: the electromagnetic force and the strong nuclear force.

How can we save the Sun?

In order to save the Sun, to help it last longer than the 5 billion years it has remaining, we would need some way to stir up the Sun with a gigantic mixing spoon. To get that unburned hydrogen from the radiative and convective zones down into the core. One idea is that you could crash another star into the Sun.

What happens when the Sun uses up all of its fuel?

The only fuel the Sun can use for fusion is in the core, which accounts for only 0.8\% of the Sun’s volume and 34\% of its mass. When it uses up that hydrogen in the core, it’ll blow off its outer layers into space and then shrink down into a white dwarf.

How do you get hydrogen from the Sun?

To get that unburned hydrogen from the radiative and convective zones down into the core. One idea is that you could crash another star into the Sun. This would deliver fresh fuel, and mix up the Sun’s hydrogen a bit.

What would happen if we gave the Sun H20?

Let’s say another Sun’s worth of H20. Conveniently, Hydrogen is what the Sun uses for fuel, so if you give the Sun more hydrogen, it should just get larger and hotter. Oxygen is one of the byproducts of fusion. Right now, our Sun is turning hydrogen into helium using the proton-proton fusion reaction.