| Astrophysics (Index) | About |
Neon burning consists of two possible sequences of nuclear fusion reactions leading from neon to magnesium, which take place in early stars. (During the process, some neon is converted to oxygen through photodisintegration because one of the burning sequences produces gamma rays of sufficient photon energy.) A neon-burning shell appears in a sufficiently-massive star during a phase while in the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). According to one common model, it forms after a carbon-burning shell and before an oxygen-burning shell (if the latter forms). Neon burning requires a temperature on the order of 109 K.