Question

Why can fusion constantly occur in stars when people can only create it for a second?

Answer 1

Stars, like our Sun, have extremely high temperatures and pressures in their cores. These conditions allow for nuclear fusion to occur continuously. On Earth, it's challenging to recreate these conditions and maintain them for a long period of time. The high temperatures and pressures needed for fusion are difficult to achieve and control, and the process currently requires more energy than it produces. Therefore, while we can create fusion, it's only for short periods and not yet a viable energy source.

Step-by-step explanation:

Of course, hydrogen fusion requires high temperatures and pressures that are only found in the core of the Sun, so the lifetime is actually shorter by about a factor of 10. But you can sleep well tonight, knowing that even though the Sun is churning out an incredible amount of energy, there is still enough fuel for another ~5 billion years.

Answer 2

Stars can continuously undergo fusion because they have the right conditions of high temperature and pressure in their cores, whereas people can only create fusion for a short duration in laboratory settings due to the challenges of achieving the required conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Stars are able to constantly undergo fusion because they have the ideal conditions for it. In the core of a star, hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium, releasing a tremendous amount of energy in the process. The high temperature and pressure in the core of a star allows fusion to occur continuously.

On the other hand, people can only create fusion for a very short duration because we don't have the same conditions as a star. In laboratory settings, achieving the high temperatures and pressures required for fusion reactions to occur is difficult and expensive.

Therefore, fusion reactions created by people are only sustainable for a short period of time.