Nuclear Fusion

Do you ever feel the warm sunshine on your face. It feels like a big, warm hug from the sky. I am the secret that makes the Sun so bright and so warm. I am made of tiny, sparkly bits of stardust. Deep inside the Sun, we little bits of stardust dance around faster and faster until we give each other a super-duper-tight hug. When we hug, we make a big, bright flash of light. It is so bright and so warm. This light travels all the way to you. That is the sunshine you feel. That light helps the flowers grow big and tall. It helps keep you warm when you play outside. I am the Sun's big secret. I am Nuclear Fusion.

For a very, very long time, I was a secret that only the stars knew. People would look up at the big, bright Sun and wonder. How does it shine all day long. How does it stay so warm. It was a big puzzle. Then, around the year 1920, a very curious scientist named Arthur Eddington had a big idea. He guessed that the stars had a special recipe to make all their light and heat. He was right. Soon after, other clever people learned all about my secret hug recipe. They learned how I take tiny, tiny things and hug them together to make new things and lots of bright, shiny light.

Now, clever people are trying to make a little sun right here on Earth. They want to copy my special starry hug. It is like they are building a tiny star in a little room. Why are they doing this. They want to make lots of clean, happy energy. This energy can power our homes, light up our rooms, and make our toys go. My special hug makes energy without making the air all messy and yucky. The next time you feel the warm sun on your skin, remember me. I am the starry hug that powers our world and gives us bright ideas for the future.