Bethe-Weizsäcker Cycle

The Bethe-Weizsäcker Cycle describes how stars produce energy through nuclear fusion by converting hydrogen into helium. In the core of a star, extreme temperatures and pressures enable hydrogen nuclei to fuse together, releasing energy. This energy generates light and heat, which sustain the star and create heavier elements over time. Named after physicists Hans Bethe and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, this cycle illustrates the process that powers main-sequence stars like our Sun and is fundamental in understanding stellar evolution and the chemical elements in the universe.