Nuclear Astrophysics at Gran Sasso Laboratory: the LUNA experiment

Nuclear processes are responsible for energy generation that makes stars shine, and for the synthesis of the elements in stars and also play a decisive role in explaining the chemical composition of the interstellar medium. Thermonuclear fusion reactions convert protons into heavier elements from He to Fe. Deep underground in the Gran Sasso Laboratory the key reactions of the proton-proton chain, the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle and the neon sodium cycle have been studied down to the energies of astrophysical interest. The latest results are reviewed, together with future developments of underground nuclear astrophysics.