The interpretation of many astrophysical phenomena relies on an in depthunderstanding of different areas of physics. Nuclear physics has aparticularly influential role in determining the energy and matterevolution at stellar sites. As more extensive observational data isgathered from earth and space observatories, an ever-greater demand isplaced on our knowledge of the basic physical processes that underpinastrophysical phenomena. Some of the associated challenges for nuclearphysics are outlined in this paper.