Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Oxygen burning process
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The oxygen burning process is a nuclear fusion reaction that occurs in massive stars that have used up the lighter elements in their cores. It occurs at 1.5×109 K and densities of 1010 kg/m3.
With the neon burning process an inert core of O-Mg forms in the centre of the star. As the neon burning turns off, the core contracts and heats up to the ignition point for the oxygen burning. In about six months to one year the star consumes its oxygen, accumulating a new core rich in silicon. This core is inert because it is not hot enough. Once oxygen is exhausted, the core cools and contracts. This contraction heats it up to the point that silicon burning process ignites. Proceeding outward, there are an oxygen burning shell, followed by the neon shell, the carbon shell, the helium shell and the hydrogen shell.
 |
This star-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |