Sprint / 60 seconds

How much hydrogen does the Sun fuse in one minute?

Bring the enormous amount of hydrogen used in the Sun's fusion down to a one-minute scale.

Solar interior · approximate

One-minute equivalent

about 36 billion tonnes

Average replay · not live data0.0 s / 60s

An evenly paced average replay, not a live observation or tracking feed.

Source and calculation

About 600 million tonnes of hydrogen per second × 60

A NASA Goddard educational source gives roughly 600 million tonnes per second. Multiplying by 60 gives this approximate solar-interior figure.

How to read this number

This is hydrogen entering fusion. It is not the Sun's mass loss or the energy reaching Earth.

Scope and caveat

Hydrogen used in fusion, not mass lost or energy arriving at Earth.