the sun
DESCRIPTION
The Sun. The Sun. 70% hydrogen and 28% helium. Is a star Made of gases Is our primary source of energy Contains 99.8% of the entire mass of Solar System. Light (radiation). Image at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/images/chromosphere/LimbFlareJan12_strip2.jpg. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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The Sun
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The Sun• Is a star• Made of gases• Is our primary
source of energy
• Contains 99.8% of the entire mass of Solar System
70% hydrogen and 28% heliumLight (radiation)
Image at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/images/chromosphere/LimbFlareJan12_strip2.jpg
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How Big is the Sun?About 110 times wider than EarthOr1.3 million times bigger than Earth
865 thousand miles wide
Photo from http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofsoho/bestofsoho.html
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Interesting Facts about the sun
• Light takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth
(5.3 hours to reach Pluto)
• Sun emits radio waves – listen to the sun…from NASA SOHO satellite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWCJkG31h0c
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The Sun and its Planets to Scale
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Inside the Sun• Core• Core• Radiative Zone• Convection zone
Image at http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/interior.shtml
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How does the sun produce energy?
• The Sun produces energy by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in its core.
Nuclear Fusion• hydrogen atoms in the core are
crushed together (fused) into a helium atom and energy
• energy is then radiated out from the core and moves across the solar system
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Hydrogen yields Helium + ENERGY
Great Pressure
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Sun’s Atmosphere Layers
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The Sun’s Atmosphere Layers
Photosphere Chromosphere CoronaSurface of sun Above
PhotosphereOuter atmosphere of sun
where light is emitted
H at this temp gives sun its color
Produces solar wind
Temp 6,000° C Temp 20,000° C Temp 2 million° C
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Features of the Sun
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Sun Spots• Sun Spots- These are dark, cool areas on
the photosphere• come in pairs • intense magnetic fields reduce energy in that
spot• Caused by movement of gases tangling
the magnetic field
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Solar Flares• Solar Flares are sudden,
violent explosions from the sun
• release gas, electrons, visible light, ultraviolet light and X-rays
• caused by sudden magnetic field changes in areas where the sun's magnetic field is concentrated (often near sun spots)
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Effects of Solar Flares• When charged particles reach the Earth's
magnetic field, they interact with it at the poles to produce the auroras
• Solar flares can disrupt communications, satellites, GPS navigation systems and even power grids
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Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s)
• Solar flares twist back on themselves and cut off from the sun
• Release blob of plasma into space• Plasma is superheated electrically
charged gas
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Effects of CME• Can damage satellites and
communications
• Very dangerous to astronauts
• Power interruptions
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Solar Wind• Blows charged particles away from
the Sun• Charged particles hit Earth’s
magnetic field• Create Auroras or Northern
(borealis) and Southern (australis) Lights
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/bestofsoho/Movies/animation/Solarwind.mpg
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Auroras• Solar wind charged particles interact
with atoms in our atmosphere near poles
• oxygen and nitrogen make red and green
• nitrogen can also make violet
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How does the sun affect the Earth?• Gravity
- Orbits- The Sun’s powerful gravity keeps the planets in orbit
- Location - Our distance from the Sun is “just right” for temperature and brightness of the Earth
• Radiation- Our Sun (and all active stars) emits radiation radio,
infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray and even some gamma rays.
- Most of the sunlight is yellow visible light. • Solar Phenomena- Solar flares, CME’s• Earth’s protection - Earth’s atmosphere filters out some frequencies- Ozone layer protects us from some ultra-violet, and
most x-rays and gamma rayso Warmth
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The Sun keeps us warm…• Sunlight is absorbed by Earth• The Sun does NOT send “heat rays”
into space. • The Sun’s light is absorbed by Earth
(clouds, plants, oceans, rock…)• Absorbed light energy is re-emitted as
infra-red – The Greenhouse Effect • Earth’s atmosphere is warmed by the
Earth’s surface
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How does our Sun compare to other Stars?
• Active stars range in size from supergiants to dwarfs
• Stars range from very bright (supergiants) to very dim (dwarfs)
• Stars range from very hot blue on the outside (O class) to cool red on the outside (M class)
Our Sun is in-between--yellow
Our Sun is a dwarf—medium massOur Sun is a medium-bright dwarf
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So is our Sun an average star?• No—most stars are smaller and
cooler than our Sun BUT• Most of the bright stars we see are
bigger and hotter