The sun

Learn about the sun

Core

Core

Innermost layer/center of the sun, where fusion of H→He occurs, composed of heavy gases

Radiative Zone

energy moves through this thick layer, hot and dense, too hot for fusion

Convection Zone (think of muffins in the oven)

convection; a type of energy, a way that heat travels while being transferred by the movement of liquids or gases

energy rises to the photosphere through convection (hot plasma rising, cooler plasma sinking)

Photosphere

surface that emits radiation and light, visible layer (what we see and where sunspots are)

Layers of the sun IN ORDER

Core, radiative zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona

Chromosphere

the sun’s lower atmosphere, thin middle layer

Corona

Outermost layer, very hot, where solar winds come from, the only part visible of the sun during an eclipse

What is the sun mostly made of?

Hydrogen and Helium in PLASMA form

Plasma

super-hot ionized gas

Granulation

-difference in heat

-hot = bright

-cooler = darker

-comes from convection just before the photosphere

Sunspot

Cool, dark area of gas on the photosphere from magnetic fields. Sunspots are usually in pairs with magnetic field lines (like a rainbow)

Why are there sunspots?

Because the sun’s surface is spinning, plasma on the equator of the sun moves faster than the poles; basically because of the sun’s change in magnetic field

Magnetic poles on the sun

Basically, the sun’s magnetic poles are NOT like Earth’s which are only North and South; the sun has magnetic poles ALL over it! (a lot of rainbows everywhere)

Coronal Mass Ejections (CME)

solar flares; high energy particles ejected from the sun from sunspots

disrupt the flow of solar wind and sometimes affect us

biggest “explosions” in our solar system

Solar prominences

large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface loops of the magnetic field in between sunspots, extend outwards into the corona

Solar wind

The Sun releases a constant stream of particles and magnetic fields called solar wind which is constant, we are protected from solar wind with our magnetic field

Aurora

interaction of the solar wind charged particles (- and +) and Earth’s magnetic field which causes the particles to react to our upper atmosphere and produce light (green light in the sky)

Solar cycle

the cycle that the Sun's magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years

Lunar Eclipse

the blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and the moon (FULL MOON PHASE)

Solar Eclipse

Occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth and casts a shadow over part of Earth (NEW MOON PHASE)

Where is the source of energy for our sun?

Solar energy is created by nuclear fusion which happens in the sun’s core (H→He)