... Hydrogen, Helium, and the Stars of M10 . ... Stars like the Sun use hydrogen for fuel, "burning" hydrogen into helium at their cores through nuclear fusion. ... Yesterday, for a brief few minutes, a total eclipse of the Sun brought darkness to southern Africa's daytime skies. ... Today, earthbound skygazers can celebrate a solstice, a new Moon, the closest approach of planet Mars since 1988 ... oh yes, and a total eclipse of the Sun, the first total solar eclipse of the third millennium. ...