4.1 The Sun is our Local Star

THE SUN IS OUR LOCAL STAR

Space Science

Chapter 4: Section 4.1

THE SUN:

WHAT IS THE SUN MADE OF? IS IT A SOLID? A LIQUID? OR A GAS?

Gas- made mostly of hydrogen and helium

IS THE SUN CONSISTENT?

OR DOES IT HAVE LAYERS?

The sun has 6 layers

HOW DOES THE SUN MAKE IT’S ENERGY?Fusion- the process in which hydrogen is converted into helium

REVIEW: WHAT IS MASS?Anything that has matter and takes up space

HOW MASSIVE IS THE SUN?Contains 99.9% of the mass of the entire solar system

LAYERS OF THE SUN

THE SUN’S INTERIOR Core

Where fusion takes place Nuclear reaction, not chemical

Reaches 15 million degrees Celsius Radiative Zone

Energy moves by radiation through this thick layer

Conditions not extreme enough for fusion to occur

Convection Zone Convection- the transfer of energy from place to

place by motion of heated gas or liquid the currents of this hot gas carry energy towards

the Sun’s surface

SUN’S INTERIOR-Core--Radiative Zone-- Convection Zone

THE SUN’S ATMOSPHERE Photosphere

The sun’s surface- the part you see when you look at the sun

Convection currents break through this layer Making it appear bumpy in texture

ChromosphereThin middle layerGives off pinkish layer

CoronaLow density, outer most layerOnly seen during a total eclipse

SUN’S ATMOSPHERE-Photosphere-Chromosphere-Cornoa

SUNSPOTS Spots on the photosphere that are

cooler than surrounding areas Appear dark but are bright

Seem dim because rest of photosphere is much brighter

Finding Sunspots ActivityLight bulb Sun Index cards

SUNSPOTSFollow 11 year patterns

During peak season, dozen of sunspots appear

THE MORE SUNSPOTS THERE ARE, THE COOLER EARTH IS.

WHY?NASA claims that in 2008 the sun had the fewest sunspots since 1913 and that is the reason for the cooler weather in the northern hemisphere.

PROMINENCES Large bright features extending outward

from the sun’s surface Anchored to the photosphere May be thousand of km in length

PROMINENCESMade of ionized gases called plasma

SOLAR WINDS Electrically charged particles that flow in

all directions from the cornoa Deflected by the magnetic poles

SOLAR WINDSApproximate size of Earth for comparison

AURORAS When the energy is released into the

upper atmosphere of Earth they create auroras

Also known as northern or southern lights

NASA MATCHING SUN

ACTIVITY

HOW ARE THE IMAGES SIMILAR?

DIFFERENT?

The yellow UV images show regions of intense activity above the surface of the sun

The black and white images show regions of magnetic connections break and reconnecting

Many of these areas appear as sunspots in simple images of the sun

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