The evolution of celestial bodies is regulated by gravitation and thermonuclear reaction rates, while the Big Bang nucleosynthesis is the result of nuclear processes in a rapidly expanding Universe. The LUNA Collaboration has shown that, by exploiting the ultra low background achievable deep underground, it is possible to study the relevant nuclear processes down to the nucleosynthesis energy inside stars and during the first minutes of Universe. In this paper the main results of LUNA are overviewed, as well as the scientific program the forthcoming 3.5 MV underground accelerator.
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