THE SUN

Is the Sun a star?

• The Sun is the closest star to Earth.

• It makes its own heat and light.

• The earth orbits around the sun.

• It gives the earth heat and light.

 Sun’s Energy
• 37)Suns’ Energy is generated by
Nuclear Fusion.

• Hydrogen to Helium
 LARGEST…
• The Sun is the largest object in the solar
system!

• Example: Mass 333,000 x Earth or 1000 x

Jupiter

• 32)Approximately 99% of the solar system

is located in this celestial object.
The Sun and planets, shown to scale. Earth is the
small blue dot in the middle of the box.
 LAYERS OF THE SUN
• Major Regions:
Interior (“Inner-sphere”)
• Core
• Radiative Zone
• Convective Zone
Atmosphere (“Outer-sphere”)
• Photosphere
• Chromosphere
• Corona
No real “surface” - it is gaseous all the way to the center!
 What is the hottest portion/part of
the sun?

• 35)The CORE!

• Location of
Sun’s energy
generation by
nuclear fusion.
 Radiative zone
• The
radiative zone of
the solar
interior is
characterized by
the process of
radiation.
 Convection Zone
• The convection zone is a region of the Sun
where hot and cooler gases circulate in
convection currents.
 Now lets look at the…
OUTER-SPHERE OR ATMOSHPHERE
OF THE SUN
 ATMOSPHERE…
• The atmosphere of the sun is composed of
several layers, mainly the photosphere, the
chromosphere, and the corona.
PHOTOSPHERE
• The lowest layer of
the sun's
atmosphere is the
photosphere.
• Coolest layer of the
sun
 CHROMOPSHERE
• The next layer is the chromosphere. The
chromosphere emits a reddish glow as
super-heated hydrogen burns off.
 CORONA
• The third layer of the sun's
atmosphere is the corona.
• It can only be seen during a total
solar eclipse as well. It appears
as white streamers or plumes of
ionized gas that flow outward
into space.
• As the gases cool, they become
the solar wind.
Solar Eclipse
• 39) A solar
flare is a violent
explosion above
the suns surface.

• A large amount
of energy is
released.
• Solar flares may last for 10 minutes and will
produce more energy than a MILLION
hydrogen bombs.

• This results in the production of a magnetic

field that interacts with the earth’s magnetic
field.
• When this occurs on the Sun, the Earth can
experience problems with satellite
communications.
• Sunspots appear as
dark spots on the
surface of the Sun.

• They typically last

for several days,
although very large
ones may live for
several weeks.
• 38)Sunspots are the
coolest locations on
the surface of the Sun!

• Appears dark only

because its gases are a
few thousand degrees
cooler than surround
gas….so it radiates
less energy.
Sunspots Always
seem to occur in
pairs. Probable
due to how the
kinks in Magnetic
field penetrate the
photosphere.
• The solar wind is a stream of energized,
charged particles, primarily electrons and
protons, flowing outward from the Sun.
• They cause magnetic
storms!

• Auroras, called the

northern lights, occur
when layers of our
atmosphere are
energized by solar
winds.
• The solar wind is what blows the tails of
comets back away from the bodies of
comets as they go through the solar system.