碳氮氧循環
The type of hydrogen fusion process that dominates in a star is determined by the temperature dependency differences between the two reactions. The proton–proton chain reaction starts at temperatures about , making it the dominant fusion mechanism in smaller stars. A self-maintaining CNO chain requires a higher temperature of approximately , but thereafter it increases more rapidly in efficiency as the temperature rises, than does the proton–proton reaction. Above approximately , the CNO cycle becomes the dominant source of energy. This temperature is achieved in the cores of main-sequence stars with at least 1.3 times the mass of the Sun. The Sun itself has a core temperature of about . As a main-sequence star ages, the core temperature will rise, resulting in a steadily increasing contribution from its CNO cycle.