The document discusses the structure and composition of the Sun. It has 6 layers: the core, where fusion occurs at 15 million degrees Celsius; the radiative zone, where energy moves by radiation; the convection zone, where hot gas currents transfer energy; the photosphere, the visible surface; the chromosphere, a thin pinkish layer; and the corona, the outermost low density layer. The Sun is mostly made of hydrogen and helium and produces energy through the fusion of hydrogen into helium. It contains over 99% of the mass in the solar system and has prominent features like sunspots and solar winds.
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4.1 The Sun is our Local Star
1. The Sun is our local starSpace ScienceChapter 4: Section 4.1
2. The sun:What is the sun made of? Is it a solid? A liquid? Or a gas?Gas- made mostly of hydrogen and helium
3. Is the Sun consistent? Or does it have layers?The sun has 6 layers
4. How does the sun make it’s energy?Fusion- the process in which hydrogen is converted into helium
5. Review: What is mass?Anything that has matter and takes up space
6. How massive is the sun?Contains 99.9% of the mass of the entire solar system
8. The sun’s interiorCoreWhere fusion takes placeNuclear reaction, not chemicalReaches 15 million degrees CelsiusRadiative ZoneEnergy moves by radiation through this thick layerConditions not extreme enough for fusion to occurConvection ZoneConvection- the transfer of energy from place to place by motion of heated gas or liquidthe currents of this hot gas carry energy towards the Sun’s surface
11. - Convection ZoneThe sun’s atmospherePhotosphereThe sun’s surface- the part you see when you look at the sunConvection currents break through this layerMaking it appear bumpy in textureChromosphereThin middle layerGives off pinkish layerCoronaLow density, outer most layerOnly seen during a total eclipse
13. SunspotsSpots on the photosphere that are cooler than surrounding areasAppear dark but are brightSeem dim because rest of photosphere is much brighterFinding Sunspots ActivityLight bulb SunIndex cards
15. 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.
16. ProminencesLarge bright features extending outward from the sun’s surfaceAnchored to the photosphereMay be thousand of km in length
26. The yellow UV images show regions of intense activity above the surface of the sunThe black and white images show regions of magnetic connections break and reconnectingMany of these areas appear as sunspots in simple images of the sun