A nuclear fusion process in massive stars where carbon-12 nuclei fuse together to create heavier elements like neon, sodium, and magnesium. This occurs at temperatures around 600 million Kelvin in the cores of stars with masses greater than 8 solar masses.
From Latin 'carbo' meaning charcoal (referring to the element carbon) and 'burning' indicating nuclear fusion. The process was theoretically described in the 1960s as part of advanced stellar nucleosynthesis theory.
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