Survey
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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).