The Sun

What is the Sun?

A medium sized star located on a spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, about half way out from the center.

How much of the solar system does the Sun take up

99.8% of its mass

Solar Mass

An astronomical unit of mass = to the sun's mass used as a standard unit (to compare the size of other stars to the Sun)

Astronomical Unit

Equals the distance between the Earth and the Sun (approximately 150 million km)

Solar Wind

A stream of electrically charged particles that emanate from the Sun's corona

What two things does Solar Wind create?

• Auroras( Northern lights)

• Magnetic storms

The sun’s energy comes from a process called…?

Nuclear Fusion( H atoms squeezed together to form helium)

Where does Nuclear Fusion occur in the Sun?

The core

What are the layers of the sun's interior?

The convective zone, the radiative zone, and the core

What are the layers of the Sun's atmosphere?

The photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona

What layer is visible when you look at a typical image of the Sun?

The photosphere

How can the chromosphere be identified during a total solar eclipse?

The reddish layer surrounding it.

The corona sends out a stream of electrically charged particles called the…?

Solar Wind

What are three features on or abithe Sun's surface?

• Sunspots

• Solar Wind

• Solar Flares

Sunspots

Areas of gas on the sun's surface that are cooler than the gases around them.

Prominences

Reddish loops of gas that link different parts if sunspot regions

When solar flares increase wind from the corona, what do they cause in Earth's upper atmosphere?

Northern Lights/Magnetic Storms

What occurs in the convection zone?

Rising and falling currents carry heat from the radiative zone to the surface.

What occurs in the radiation zone?

Energy from the core slowly travels outward.

• Incredibly dense

• Takes 150,000 years to work its way through

What occurs in the core?

The core produces colossal amounts of energy including all of the Sun's light and heat.