The Sun

[kermit911]

(1) How does a sun become a sun? (2) Why is it that when a sun has nothing left to burn it just doesn't go out like a match? It goes super nova or just nova. (3) Can a sun prematurly be extinguished? Can A planet become a sun? Like earth, could earth become a sun?

Thanx all

[Jackson74]

Isn't the sun an imploded star?  As far as I know, the sun is the closest star to the earth.  Planets are not stars so cannot become like the sun.

This may be codswallop but this definitely rings a bell

[bobjim1705]

(1) A star is effectively born when smaller particles essentially 'stick' to other smaller particles. These have a greater gravitational attraction to other smaller particles, and so it will keep increasing in size, snowball style. Eventually, the particles inside are whizzing round with such speed and energy that fusion can take place - 2 hydrogen atoms bond together to form a helium atom, with ltos of energy given off in the process.

(2) Stars don't always go supernova. The larger ones do, and this is a result of fusion taking place until all the reactive matter inside has been converted to energy. In smaller stars, they slowly cool down becoming red, white or black dwarfs.

[jake-the-peg]

1) As pointed out it's all a matter of size, Jupiter is often referred to as a failed sun. In other words when the solar system was forming it did not get big enough to ignite. Often planets do and you get a binary or tertiary with two or more suns orbiting each other

2) Again BobJim's right Our sun is nowhere large enough to go suprenova. After it becomes a Red Giant it will shink back and fade away.

Incidently a nova is not just a dim supernova here's a page explaining the difference:

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980202c.html

3) I don't think a sun could prematurly be extinguished other than by extreme events such as a companion star becoming a black hole or netron star and colliding with it.

Earth could not now become a sun there is not enough matter for it to attract . As I mentioned a planet is in effect a wannabe star. 

[Loosehead]

So what did it implode from Jackson?? mmmm

[Gef]

A quick google will bring up thousands of pages about stars in general and our Sun.

The one thing that annoys me is referring to the Sun as "burning" hydrogen. When hydrogen burns it combines with oxygen to form water - a chemical reaction. The process takiing place in the Sun is nuclear fusion, not a chemical reaction, and it does not involve oxygen.

For starters try here http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/stars/death/index.sht ml