Nuclear Astrophysics: Direct measurements with stable beams

Direct laboratory measurements of astrophysically important nuclear reactions become increasingly more difficult as regions of lower bombarding energies are being explored. As examples for these challenging experiments, we will report on recent measurements of the 17O(p,γ)18F and 23Na(p,γ)24Mg reactions at the Laboratory for Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics (LENA). We will discuss a typical experimental setup, will present recent experimental results, and will describe their impact on stellar nucleosynthesis.