HW 7: The Sun

What is a hot ionized gas composed of free electrons and positively charged ions in stars called?

Plasma

What is the right order from inner to outer?

Photosphere, Chromosphere, Corona 

Where do solar winds predominantly originate from?

Coronal holes

What two effects contribute to the 11 year solar sunspot cycle?

Differential rotation and Magnetic activities 

How old are the sun and earth, and roughly everything in the solar system?

4.5 billion years 

Which of the following is the cause of the sun's enormous power (or energy) production?

Nuclear fusion 

True or false: Nuclear fusion produces more energy than nuclear fission reaction?

True 

What is the primary mode of energy transport inside the sun? 

Convection

From Doppler shifts of the spectral lines in the light coming from the east and west edges of the Sun, astronomers find that the radial velocities of the two edges differ by about 4 km/s, meaning that the Sun’s rotation rate is 2 km/s. Find the approximate period of rotation of the Sun in days. (Assume that the radius of the sun is 6.96 × 10⁵ km) Hint: The circumference of a sphere is given by 2πR, where R is the radius of the sphere

25. 31

Suppose an eruptive prominence rises at a speed of 150 km/s. If it does not change speed, how far from the photosphere will it extend after 3 hours?

1.62 million km