Eli5 if the pressure from earth keeps its super heated inner core solid, does the sun have a solid core?
In: 5
No, it does not. The sun is essentially just hydrogen under immense gravitational forces being fused into helium, and is far too hot to be in a solid state. Temperatures are much, much higher in the Sun’s core than the Earth. Or so I have read….
No. For it to be solid the atoms would need to be locked into position relative to each other. The sun’s core is a plasma. While it is under intense pressure that keeps all of the atoms close together they are still able to move relative to each other. They pretty much have to in order for the nuclei to get close enough and fuse.
It is incredibly dense though. About 160 grams / cubic centimeter. Which is over ten times more dense than the solid core of the earth.
The Sun’s core generates a lot of outward pressure, courtesy of the nuclear fusion, that fights against the inward pressure of gravity. Eventually as it burns through its nuclear fuel gravity will win, and then all sorts of fun things start to happen. (Explosions. The fun things are explosions.)
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