Some facts when you hit that silent moment at a boring braai:
The sun becomes four million tonnes lighter every second (not minute or hour - every second). If there is no reaction. Leave the braai immediately and go home!
It is because of the fussion taking place in its core. Every second 600 million tonnes of hydrogen are turned into 596 million tonnes of helium. That means that 4 million tonnes goes missing every single second. That mass is converted into energy, giving us some sunlight.
Why is it not running out of "steam"? It's total mass is two thousand million million million million tonnes.
Chew on that!
Source: The Sky at Night. Answers to Questions from Across the Universe - Patrick Moore and Chris North.
