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The Sun Our Sun is a Star Journey to the Sun How did the sun form? Why the sun is important to the Earth. TRUE or FALSE The sun only shines during the day. FALSE FACT: The sun is shining constantly. TRUE or FALSE The sun does not rotate or revolve. FALSE FACT: The sun has differential rotations, meaning it rotates faster at the equator than it does at the poles. It takes the sun 25 days to make one rotation at the equator and 32 days to rotate at the poles. The sun is also moving in space around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. TRUE or FALSE You can only see auroras at the poles. FALSE FACT: The auroras do not form over the geographic poles, but over the magnetic poles which are over Alaska/ Northern Canada/Russia and over Antarctica. During intense magnetic storms, the auroras may be visible farther south. TRUE or FALSE The sun has a solid surface. FALSE FACT: Although we call the photosphere the surface of the sun, the photosphere is a hot gas. The Sun - Lesson Objectives By the end of this lesson, students should be able to: 1 Explain how the sun produces energy in its core. 2 Identify layers of the sun and explain what occurs in each layer. 3 Compare the size of the sun to other objects in the solar system. 4 Explain the sunspot cycle and the effect that it has on the sun and on earth. The Sun - Essential Questions How does the sun produce different forms of energy? 1 How does the diameter and volume of the sun compare to the size and mass of other space objects? 2 Describe the sunspot cycle and explain how solar events (including sunspots) affect Earth. 3 What are the layers of the sun and what occurs in each layer? The Sun - NOTES The sun is a star in the Milky Way galaxy. All planets in our solar system revolve around the sun. One-hundred Earth’s would fit across the face of the sun and more than 1 million Earth’s could fit inside. The Sun - NOTES Nuclear fusion occurs in the core of the sun. During this process, tremendous energy is released. This energy takes the form of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays are produced by the fusion reaction. The Sun - NOTES Only a fraction of this energy makes it to the Earth’s surface in the form of visible light, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet radiation. The heat and light energy given off by the sun is crucial to the Earth’s ability to support life. The Sun - NOTES The innermost layer of the sun is called the core. Fusion reactions take place within the core, and the temperature reaches 15 million K. Above the core is the radiation zone. Heat energy from the core is transferred by radiation, or waves, through this layer. The Sun - NOTES Kelvin tenuous The Sun - NOTES Above the radiation zone is the convection zone. In this layer, hot gases rise to the surface, cool, and sink, creating convection currents. These convection currents lead to the granulation, or the grainy appearance of the sun. The Sun - NOTES The visible surface of the sun is called the photosphere. The photosphere is approximately 6000 K. Sunspots are visible on the photosphere. The atmosphere of the sun is comprised of two layers. The sun’s lower atmosphere is called the chromosphere. The Sun - NOTES The chromosphere, a thin red layer, is sometimes visible during a solar eclipse. The upper atmosphere of the sun is called the corona. This layer is a tenuous layer that is larger than the sun itself. The corona can reach a temperature of several million K. Changes within the corona cause solar wind. The Sun - NOTES The sun rotates faster at its equator than it does at its poles. The magnetic field of the sun twists, forming dark, intense magnetic fields on the sun called sunspots. Sunspots go through an eleven-year cycle where they go from a minimum number to a maximum number back to a minimum number. The Sun - NOTES The intensity of the magnetic fields cause solar flares (jets of hot gases that explode off the sun) and prominences (loops of gas off the sun) which are solar storms. Sunspots and solar storms cause intense auroras, ionized light that generally form above the magnetic poles of the Earth. They can also cause changes in weather patterns and electromagnetic disturbances on Earth. The Sun - Key Terms aurora, chromosphere, convection zone, core, corona, electromagnetic spectrum, fusion, infrared, photosphere, radiation zone, solar flare, solar prominence, solar wind, spicule, sun, sunspot, sunspot cycle, visible light, ultraviolet The Sun - NOTES 1 The Structure of the Sun (2:39 Discusses layers of the sun in detail) 2 The Sun (4:21 Discusses sun size and layers.) Layers of the Sun Characteristics Essential Questions: How does the diameter and volume of the sun compare to the size and mass of other space objects? What are the layers of the sun and what occurs in each layer? How does the sun produce different forms of energy? Exploration How Big Is Big? Comparisons Earth versus small plants Jupiter versus Earth Sun versus Earth Large stars versus the Sun Times Bigger/Diameter How do we know so much about the sun? Scientists use various types of technology, including special telescopes, space probes, and other instruments to collect information, and then apply the laws of science, along with logical reasoning and imagination, to make sense of the collected data. READING HOMEWORK leannortiz.weebly.com Reading Passages 1. A Sun-sational Journey 2. Hot Stuff Answer Questions