Download Plasmas and the Sun

Plasmas and the Sun
By: Kristin Maxey
Period 4
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What is a plasma?
• Plasmas are ionized gases.
• The electrons and ions of the plasma are freemoving.
• The atoms that make up the plasma have
broken completely apart.
• Plasmas do not have a distinct shape or volume.
• They are the most common form of matter.
• You don’t see that much plasma on Earth
because the temperature on Earth is too cold for
matter to reach that state.
• They are very high in energy.
What are some different forms of
plasma?
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The Northern Lights
Auroras
Neon signs
Fire
Lightning
The tails of the comets
Sun
Stars
The Sun
This is a picture of
plasma coming from the
sun and going out into
space.
• The Sun is the largest object in the solar system.
• It contains 98% of the total solar system mass.
• It appears that the Sun has been active for 4.6 billion
years.
• It should have enough fuel to last for another 5 billion
years.
• The Sun emits plasma.
• Most people think that in the solar system nothing fills up
the space between the planets, but actually plasma fills
up that space.
• It is a swarm of charged particles, or plasma.
• The Sun is filled with hot hydrogen and helium gas.
Plasmas
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Loops of plasma on the sun
Plasmas loop around the Sun.
following the magnetic force.
They produce magnetic fields.
They carry electrical currents.
The temperature of the Sun charges up the atoms that
create plasma.
When a magnetic field is strong enough to influence the
direction of the charged particles, it is said that the
plasma is magnetized.
Beyond the Earth’s atmosphere 99% of observable
matter in the solar system is plasma.
The temperature and densities of plasmas can be cool
and fragile like an aurora.
The temperature and densities can be hot and dense like
the center of a star.
Other Information on Plasma
• In 1879 William Crookes identified the fourth state of
matter as plasma.
• Plasmas permeate the heliosphere and local intersteller
medium and that results in a comet-like interaction with
the surrounding plasma.
• Plasmas on Earth are mainly found in a succinct
phenomena such as lightning or a welder’s arc.
This is a picture of the
plasma from the sun
connecting with the
magnetic fields.
William
Crookes
Aurora
borealis in
Canada.
Auroras
An aurora
australis.
• The Northern Lights are auroras.
• The color of the plasma depends on the type gas.
• In the Northern Hemisphere auroras are called aurora
borealis. In the Southern Hemisphere aurora are called
aurora australis.
• Aurora are formed from the collision of Earth’s magnetic
field and solar wind.
• Solar wind is a stream of plasma coming out of the Sun.
Aurora
australis seen
from a
satellite.
Aurora borealis
seen from a
space shuttle.
The
Northern
Lights.
Aurora on
Jupiter.
Places where I got my pictures and
facts from.
Websites
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http://www.spaceweathercenter.org/amazing_plasmas/02/02.html
http://www.spaceweathercenter.org/amazing_plasmas/04/04.html
http://www.plasmas.org/rot-space.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)
http://www.plasmas.org/rot-plasmas.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
Books
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Physics Matters
New Book of Popular Science Book #3
Play this game to quiz yourself
on the plasma presentation.
http://www.quia.com/ba/143526.html