Hydrogen burns through the CNO cycle only in high-mass main-sequence stars because of the greater __________ in their cores.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The CNO cycle is a process by which hydrogen is fused into helium in high-mass stars. However, this process requires extremely high temperatures to overcome the repulsive forces between positively charged atomic nuclei. Only in the cores of high-mass main-sequence stars, where temperatures can reach millions of Kelvin, is there enough energy to fuel the CNO cycle.

Hydrogen Burns Through the CNO Cycle Only in High-Mass Main-Sequence