CNO cycle (carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle)

- a fusion process that occurs in the cores of massive stars and is responsible for the production of helium from
hydrogen.
- In the CNO cycle, four protons fuse, using carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopes as catalysts, each of which
is consumed at one step of the CNO cycle, but re-generated in a later step.

STEPS/PROCESS:
A carbon-12 nucleus captures a proton and emits a gamma ray, producing nitrogen-13.
Nitrogen-13 is unstable and emits a beta particle, decaying to carbon-13.
Carbon-13 captures a proton and becomes nitrogen-14 via emission of a gamma-ray.
Nitrogen-14 captures another proton and becomes oxygen-15 by emitting a gamma-ray.
Oxygen-15 becomes nitrogen-15 via beta decay.
Nitrogen-15 captures a proton and produces a helium nucleus (alpha particle) and carbon-12, which is where
the cycle started.

This cycle enables the fusion of hydrogen into helium, releasing a significant amount of energy. This
energy production is crucial as it counteracts the gravitational forces attempting to collapse the star,
maintaining its stability. The radiant energy generated by the CNO cycle is what makes stars shine
brightly, including our Sun, providing light and warmth that sustains life on planets like Earth.