ABSTRACT
The nature of energy generation in the sun is still an unanswered question. Spectral measurements have conrmed the presence of nearly all the known elements in the sun. However, 80% of the sun is hydrogen and 19% helium. Therefore, the remaining 100-plus observed elements make up only a tiny fraction of the composition of the sun. It is generally accepted that a hydrogen-to-helium thermonuclear reaction is the source of the sun’s energy. Yet because such a reaction has not been duplicated in the laboratory, it is unclear precisely what the reaction mechanism is, what role the turbulent ows in the sun play, and how solar prominences and sunspots are created.
