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The Sun
Chemical composition:
- Hydrogen = 92.1%
- Helium = 7.8%
- Rest of the other 90 naturally occurring
elements: 0.1%
How does the sun produce energy?
1) Energy is created in the core when
hydrogen is fused to helium.
2) This energy flows out from the core by
radiation through the radiative layer,
by convection through the convective
layer,
and by radiation from the surface of the
photosphere (the portion of the Sun we
see.)
Sun’s Energy and the Earth:
The amount of energy that hits the Earth's
surface is maximum at the point where the
incoming radiation is perpendicular to the
Earth's surface.
The Sun’s External Rotation:
The equator of the Sun rotates faster than the
poles of the Sun. This is called the
differential rotation.
The Sun’s Internal Rotation:
Hotter (red) and colder (blue) regions in the
solar interior.
Granules:
Convection causes energy to rise to the surface
as gas wells up in the cores of the granules,
and cool gas sinks around their edges.
Solar flares are tremendous explosions on
the surface of the Sun.
Solar prominences are dense clouds of
material suspended above the surface of
the Sun by loops of magnetic field.
Corona is the light waves expanding into
space filling the solar system with solar
wind.
Solar wind is the continuous flow of
charged particles (ions, electrons, and
neutrons) that comes from the Sun in
every direction.
Asteroids are small, rocky worlds.
Most asteroids revolve around the
sun between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter. (asteroid belt)
Comets are “dirty snowballs” about
the size of an earth mountain. They
produce tails of gas and dust when
they approach the sun.
METEOROID: A piece of stone or metal
that travels in outer space.
METEOR: An object from space that
becomes glowing hot when it passes into
Earth's atmosphere.
METEORITE: A piece of stone or metal from
space that falls to Earth's surface.
Homework…
• Using the map in your Solar System
Interactive Study Guide research and
map with a variety of colored dots
where meteors strike the planet Earth.
Classification of Outer Space:
- Many planets make up a solar system
(sun and it’s planets)
- Many solar systems make up a galaxy
(milky way)
- Many galaxies make up the universe
What is a galaxy?
A large group of stars, gases, and dust held
together by gravity.
There are nine (eight) planets:
Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn,
Neptune, Uranus, (Pluto)
Terrestrial Planets
(rocky, dense, metal
core)
Jovian Planets
(light, gassy/liquid; H,
He)