Rights: Public domain - worldwide Published 17 September 2009 Size: 630 KB Referencing Hub media

At this stage of our Sun’s life cycle, hydrogen atoms are fused to form helium atoms. This nuclear reaction produces very large amounts of energy.

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    Hydrogen – the number 1 element

    Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe – all of the hydrogen in the universe has its origin in the first few moments after the Big Bang. It is the third most abundant element on ...

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    Light and shadows

    When children draw pictures of the Sun, they often show rays radiating outwards – similar to the image below. These light rays travel in a straight line at nearly 300,000 kilometres per second ...

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    How elements are formed

    Our world is made of elements and combinations of elements called compounds. An element is a pure substance made of atoms that are all of the same type. At present, 116 elements are known, and ...

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