Artist's impression of the evolution of the Sun. At bottom left,the new star is seen forming at the centre of a great,swirling cloud of gas. The central portion condenses,& pressure & heat build up until they ignite the burning of hydrogen by nuclear fusion. The star is born. The hydrogen is steadily fused into helium until,eventually,the hydrogen is exhausted & helium burning begins. At this stage,the outer layers of the star expand & it becomes cooler & redder.`The Sun will reach this stage in about 5000 million years. During its expansion,it will consume Mercury,Venus & Earth,& may extend as far as the orbit of Mars | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Baum, Julian |
Taille de l’image : | 4722 px × 3791 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |