Why don't low-mass stars have the CNO cycle occurring in their cores?
A) Their core temperatures are too low.
B) They don't have enough carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.
C) The CNO cycle makes elements heavier than carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The CNO cycle requires high temperatures of at least 15 million Kelvin to occur, which are only present in the cores of massive stars. Low-mass stars do not have such high temperatures in their cores, so the CNO cycle cannot occur.

Why Don't Low-Mass Stars Have the CNO Cycle Occurring in Their