Download The sun - E

Name:
The sun is a star and is much larger than the Earth. It is a big ball of hot, glowing
gases. It looks like the biggest and brightest star because it is the closest star to
Earth. The Earth revolves around the sun.
The sun gives off lots of energy. It gives off energy we can see and energy we cannot
see. Energy from the sun is called solar energy.
The energy we can see is called white light and the energy we cannot see is called
heat. By passing the white light through a prism, we see a rainbow. We call this
rainbow a ‘spectrum’ and the colours in a spectrum always follow the same order of
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
The sun has an interior and an atmosphere. It does not have a solid surface. The sun’s
interior is made of the core (central region), radiation and convection zone. Each
layer has different properties. The sun produces a vast amount of energy in its core
which comes from nuclear fusion. During nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms in the sun
join to form helium. The light and heat produced by the sun’s core first pass through
the middle layer of the sun’s interior, the radiation zone.
GRADE 4
Grade 4 Term 4: Natural Sciences and Technology - Planet Earth and beyond; The sun
The sun
The radiation zone is a region of very tightly packed gas where energy is
transferred mainly in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The convection zone
is the outermost layer of the sun’s interior. Hot gases rise from the bottom of the
convection zone and gradually cool as they approach the top. Cooler gases sink,
forming loops of gas that move heat toward the sun’s surface.
The sun’s atmosphere is made up of the photosphere, the chromosphere and the
corona. The inner layer of the sun’s atmosphere is called the photosphere. Photo
means “light”. The photosphere therefore is the sphere that gives off light.
The middle layer of the sun’s atmosphere is the chromosphere. Chromo means
“colour”. Therefore, the chromosphere is the “colour sphere.”
Occasionally, gas from the atmosphere will erupt. This is called a solar prominence.
The corona is visible during a total solar eclipse. The corona propels electrically
charged particles called ‘solar wind.’
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2. What kind of energy does the sun give off?
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3. Name each colour of the spectrum
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4. What is the central region of the suns interior called?
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5. What are the three layers of the suns atmosphere?
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6. Circle true or false:
The sun revolves around the Earth T / F
GRADE 4
Grade 4 Term 4: Natural Sciences and Technology - Planet Earth and beyond; The sun
Answer the questions:
1. What is the sun? ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Label the drawing below
© e-classroom 2014 www.e-classroom.co.za
Answer the questions:
1. What is the sun?
The sun is a star and is made up of hot, glowing gases.
2. What kind of energy does the sun give off?
Solar energy
3. Name each colour of the spectrum
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (NOTE: the listed colours in this answer must follow this order).
4. What is the central region of the suns interior called?
The core
5. What are the three layers of the suns atmosphere?
photosphere, chromosphere and corona
GRADE 4
Grade 4 Term 4: Natural Sciences and Technology - Planet Earth and beyond; The sun
The sun: Answer sheet
6. Circle true or false:
The sun revolves around the Earth T / F
Label the drawing below
Corona
Photosphere
Chromosphere
Core
Prominence
© e-classroom 2014 www.e-classroom.co.za