Shouldn't something as hot and as large as the sun have a wider chemical diversity? Or is it too hot? The chemicals are there but they are in very meager amounts.

In the universe, Hydrogen is dominant... so stars are primarily composed of Hydrogen when they start out. The term used to describe the other elements they contain is called metallicity. The higher their metallicity, the more the star contains of other elements.

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Big History Project

Course: Big History Project > Unit 4

Lesson 2: What Was Young Earth Like? | 4.1

ACTIVITY: Infographic — Chemical Abundances: The Sun

Google Classroom

The Sun is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with a smattering of other elements that account for less than 2% of its mass. Download a PDF of Chemical Abundances: The Sun infographic.

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Hashir Safdar
Posted 8 years ago. Direct link to Hashir Safdar's post “Shouldn't something as ho...”
Shouldn't something as hot and as large as the sun have a wider chemical diversity? Or is it too hot?
The chemicals are there but they are in very meager amounts.
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(2 votes)
Answer
- Davin V Jones
  Posted 8 years ago. Direct link to Davin V Jones's post “In the universe, Hydrogen...”
  In the universe, Hydrogen is dominant... so stars are primarily composed of Hydrogen when they start out. The term used to describe the other elements they contain is called metallicity. The higher their metallicity, the more the star contains of other elements.
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  (5 votes)
Deep
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Deep's post “How can we measure the co...”
How can we measure the composition of the Sun without going there? As not a single project is done to land on the Sun.
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(1 vote)
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daleiah.waters
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to daleiah.waters's post “If the sun is so hot, how...”
If the sun is so hot, how to scientist study it?
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(0 votes)
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- David Alexander
  Posted 7 months ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “They go at night.”
  They go at night.
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  (1 vote)