Solar Wind Distruptions
Some of the particles in solar winds affect Earth's magnetic field, causing big magnetic storms. These storms will disrupt radios, TV stations, satellites, and telephones, etc. Power lines can go out. There is not a perfect estimate of when these happen but scientists are figuring out ways.
Convection Zone
Outermost layer of the sun, hot gases rise from the bottom of the convection zone and gradually cool as they approach the top.
Solar flares increase the solar wind from the corona. This results in a increase of the number of particles reaching Earth's upper atmosphere. Most of the time, Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field block these particles. However, near the Northern and Southern poles the particles can enter Earth's atmosphere, where powerful electric currents cause gas molecules in the sky to glow!
Radiation Zone
Core
This zone is the primary transport of protons by electromagnetic radiation. The energy takes 100,000 years to pass through.
- A good way to remember Solar Wind is that it looks like a spider.
These also affect Earth's magnetic field, which causes magnetic storms! These distrupt radio, telephone, and TV signals.
Sunspots were first identified as dark spots on the surface of the Sun. Sunspots apear very small, but are sometimes known to be much larger than Earth. They are areas of gas that are cooler than the gas around them. They don't give off as much of the light the hot spots which is why they appear dark! The number of Sunspots changes over a period of 11 years. They move around the Sun on the surface showing that the Earth rotates on a axis.
The core is the dense, scorching, middle region of the interior. It's energy comes from nuclear fusion, where hydrogen atoms join to make helium.
Solar Flares
- The Sun's radiative zone is the section of the solar interior between the innermost core and the outer convective zone. In the radiative zone, energy generated by nuclear fusion in the core moves outward as electromagnetic radiation. In other words, the energy is conveyed by photons.
When the loops in sunspot regions suddenley connect, it releases large amounts of magnetic energy. The energy heats gas on the sun to millions of degrees, causing the gas to erupt into space.
The Sun's Interior
Some of the Sun's features include Sunspots, Solar Flares, Prominces, and Solar Wind.
In the Sun's interior, rests the core, the radiation zone, and the convection zone all in that order.
Prominences
The chromosphere gives of a reddish glow as VERY hot hydrogen burns off. But the red can only be seen during a solar eclipse. Most of the time, light from the chromosphere is usually too weak to be seen against the brighter photosphere. It is 1200-1800 miles thick!
- The chromosphere is an irregular layer above the photosphere where the temperature rises from 6000°C to about 20,000°C. At these higher temperatures hydrogen emits light that gives off a reddish color (H-alpha emission).
Most sunspots happen in groups together. Huge, reddish loops link together different parts of the sunspot regions. When a group of sunspots is near the edge of the sun they look like they're extending over the Earth.
The Diagram of The Sun
The lowest layer of the atmosphere. It is about 300 miles thick! That is about 4-5 hours long. It is where the sun's energy is released as light. The distance for the light to reach Earth is about 8 minutes. The photosphere is marked by sunspots, which appear to move across the Sun's disk, the source of Solar Flares.
- The atmosphere of the sun is composed of several layers, mainly the photosphere, the chromosphere and the corona. It's in these outer layers that the sun's energy, which has bubbled up from the sun's interior layers, is detected as sunlight. The lowest layer of the sun's atmosphere is the photosphere.Nov 1, 2017
Corona
The third layer of the sun's atmosphere is the corona. It can only be seen during a solar eclipse. It looks like white strings that flow toward to space. Temperatures in the sun's corona can get as high as 3.5 million degrees F. When the temperature cools, it turns into Solar Wind. It is nicknamed the Corona Streamer.
The Sun's Atmosphere
- The corona is the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It extends many thousands of kilometers (miles) above the visible "surface" of the Sun, gradually transforming into the solar wind that flows outward through our solar system. The material in the corona is an extremely hot but very tenuous plasma.
The Sun's atmosphere consists of several layers, most mostly the Photosphere, Chromoshere, and the Corona, in that order. In these layers its where the sun's energy has been held in the interior and is detected as sunlight.
Concept Map of the Sun