- #1
trevorjobo83
- 7
- 0
What is the difference between a rocky planet's core and the core of the sun?
But other than that....Scott said:Note temperature, density, size, and composition.
A rocky planet's core is primarily composed of heavy elements like iron and nickel, often in a solid or molten state. In contrast, the Sun's core is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium in a plasma state, where nuclear fusion occurs.
The core of a rocky planet, such as Earth, can reach temperatures of several thousand degrees Celsius. The Sun's core, however, is much hotter, with temperatures around 15 million degrees Celsius due to the intense nuclear fusion reactions taking place.
The pressure in a rocky planet's core is extremely high, but it is dwarfed by the Sun's core pressure. The Sun's core experiences pressures over 250 billion times Earth's atmospheric pressure, necessary to sustain nuclear fusion.
In a rocky planet's core, energy generation primarily comes from the residual heat from planetary formation and radioactive decay. In the Sun's core, energy is generated through nuclear fusion, where hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium, releasing vast amounts of energy.
The core of a rocky planet is very dense, often exceeding 10 grams per cubic centimeter. The Sun's core, while also extremely dense, has an average density of about 150 grams per cubic centimeter, due to the immense gravitational pressure compressing the plasma.