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Our Special Star the Sun
Convective Zone
- 2 million degrees C˚
- thick shell wrapped around the radiation zone
- heat energy is carried to the surface in
circular convection currents
Core
- 15 million degrees C˚
- center of the sun
- nuclear fusion occurs
(H+H+H+H) = (He) and (energy)
Radiation Zone
- wrapped around the core
- extremely dense
- 100,000 year energy
transfer
Photosphere:
 6,000 degrees C
 innermost layer of the Suns atmosphere
 Suns visible surface
Chromosphere
 27,800 degrees C
 middle layer of atmosphere
 origin of solar storms
Corona
 1.7 million degrees C
 outermost layer of the Sun
 particles greatly spaced
Prominences
 huge bright arches of hot gas
 can extend thousands of kilometer out from the sun
 originate in the Chromosphere
Solar Flares
 bright bursts of light on the Suns surface
 temperatures reaching twice that of the surface
 lasts only several hours
Solar Wind
 stream of high energy particles released from the sun
 interaction with Earths electromagnetic field causes Northern Lights/Aurora
• interferes with radio communication
Sunspots
 storms in lower atmosphere
 dark areas on the suns surface
 cooler then the rest of the suns surface