Download The Sun

The Sun
-It’s a star (a huge, hot ball of glowing gas).
-It has 99.8% of the solar system’s mass
-Because it is so massive, it has a lot of
gravity, which keeps the planets, comets,
etc. orbiting it
The Sun’s Interior
-The core, the radiation zone, and the
convection zone.
The Core: the center of the sun.
-The energy of the sun takes place in the
core by nuclear fusion, where hydrogen
atoms join together to form helium atoms.
-The temperature inside the core is
15million degrees C.
The Radiation Zone: the middle layer
The Convection Zone: The outermost layer
of the sun’s interior.
The Sun’s Atmosphere
-the photosphere, chromosphere, and the
corona
The photosphere: inner layer of the
atmosphere (closest to convection zone).
-this is the part of the sun that gives off
visible light.
-when you look at a picture of the sun, you
are seeing the photosphere.
The chromosphere: middle layer of the
atmosphere.
-Invisible except during a solar eclipse
(when the photosphere is blocked)
The corona: the outermost layer of the
atmosphere.
-During a solar eclipse, you can see the
corona.
-It gradually thins out and blows off the sun:
known as the solar wind.
Features of the Sun:
-Sunspots are areas on the sun that are
darker and cooler than the surrounding
areas. It is where the sun’s magnetic field
pokes through the surface.
(Up close view, including an
Earth so you can see how
big they are!)
Prominences: a loop of gas, forming an arc
(or bridge) on the edge of the sun
Solar flare: an eruption of solar gas
Solar wind: charged particles coming off the
corona flowing out towards the planets. The
solar wind can screw up our satellites,
making it difficult to use our cell phones or
get clear TV signals. When they enter the
Earth’s atmosphere, we see the auroras (also
known as the Northern Lights).