WHY ARE STARS HOT AND BRIGHT?
Nuclear Fusion and Nucleosynthesis Stars are giant nuclear reactors. In the center of stars, atoms are taken apart by tremendous atomic collisions that alter the atomic structure and release an enormous amount of energy. This makes stars hot and bright. In most stars, the primary reaction converts hydrogen atoms into helium atoms, releasing an enormous amount of energy. This reaction is called nuclear fusion because it fused the nuclei (center) of atoms together, forming a new nucleus. The process of forming a new nucleus (and element) is nucleosynthesis. For more information on nuclear fusion in stars, click here. WHAT IS THE CLOSEST STAR? The closest star to us is the sun! Other than that, the closest star is Proxima Centauri, aka Alpha Centauri C (the dimmest star in the Alpha Centauri system). Proxima Centauri is 4.3 light-years from the Sun. It has an absolute magnitude of 15.5. WHY DO STARS TWINKLE? The scientific name for the twinkling of stars is stellar scintillation (or astro
