Powering the Sun

Let’s review some basic concepts of energy. Watch my Energy Transfer video to see how energy can seamlessly transition between various forms. Then watch my Energy Conversion video to see how mechanical energy can be transformed into thermal energy.
Read 16.1 Sources of Sunshine: Thermal and Gravitational Energy to discover how early scientists struggled to explain the source of the sun’s tremendous energy.
Watch the brief NOVA clip The Sun’s Energy to learn about the actual source of solar power.
In 1905, at age 26, Albert Einstein published four significant papers in physics. Some have said that any one of the papers could have earned Einstein a Nobel Prize. One of these papers, entitled “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content” made a startling suggestion: that mass is another form of energy. This is expressed in perhaps the most famous equation of all time, E = mc^2. This equation implies that the mass contained in just a pinch of salt is equivalent to the energy required to run a lightbulb for 50,000 years. Watch this brief video clip where Einstein Describes E=mc^2.
Explore 16.2 Mass, Energy, and the Theory of Relativity to learn about the fusion reactions that power the Sun. I don’t expect you to fully understand the nuclear reactions (proton-proton chain or the CNO cycle).
Fusion is able to turn a small amount of matter into a tremendous amount of energy. If humans can master and control the process of fusion, we could generate limitless energy without any waste or pollutants. Watch the 60 Minutes story Inside the breakthrough that could change our world to learn about the National Ignition Facility and its attempts to create stable fusion power here on earth.
For a concise review of all that we’ve learned about the sun, watch The Sun: Crash Course Astronomy.