The Sun
The Sun is around 5 billion years old and halfway through its life! The Sun is the most important factor for life here on our home planet, Earth. It makes all living things grow and gives light so the world can see. Without the Sun, precious life on Earth would cease to exist.
Facts and Figures:
The sun has an enormous diameter measuring 1 392 000 km
The distance to earth from this fiery ball if gas is 149 000 000 km
Has a rotation period of 26.8 days at the equator and 36 days at the poles
The sun is 25000 light years away from the center of the galaxy and takes 200 million years to orbit at a rate of 230 km/s!
The sun has a mass of 1 989 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 kg! (333,060.402 x Earth's mass)
Has a surface gravity of 274m/s
This star has an effective temperature of 5504 degrees Celsius (9939 degrees Fahrenheit)
With an age of around 4.6 billion years it is quite old!
The composition is made up of 70% Hydrogen, 28% Helium and 2% of other elements
The density is 1.409 g/cm3 which is 0.256 of that of Earth's.
The distance to earth from this fiery ball if gas is 149 000 000 km
Has a rotation period of 26.8 days at the equator and 36 days at the poles
The sun is 25000 light years away from the center of the galaxy and takes 200 million years to orbit at a rate of 230 km/s!
The sun has a mass of 1 989 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 kg! (333,060.402 x Earth's mass)
Has a surface gravity of 274m/s
This star has an effective temperature of 5504 degrees Celsius (9939 degrees Fahrenheit)
With an age of around 4.6 billion years it is quite old!
The composition is made up of 70% Hydrogen, 28% Helium and 2% of other elements
The density is 1.409 g/cm3 which is 0.256 of that of Earth's.
Layers of the Sun:
The Sun has multiple layers as does the Earth. Another thing they share in common is that they both have dense cores.
Core - The first and innermost layer is the Core and is the source for all of the Sun's energy. All the energy and light that reaches earth is started here by nuclear fusion. This layer of the sun is around 150 times denser than water and has a scorching temperature of about 15 million degrees Celsius (About 28 million degrees Fahrenheit).
Radiative Zone - This is the next zone out from the Core. The energy made from the core is in the form of photons when it begins its journey to they surface of the sun and beyond. The energy diffuses out from the core through these photons. Although this layer of the sun may not be as dense as the core the photons take around about 100 000 years to move through the radiative zone because it bounces around due to the density of this layer.
Convection Zone - The next layer of the sun is known as the Convection Zone. Energy from the core in the form of light is converted into heat energy once the density of the Radiative zone as decreased enough. The heat from the Radiative zone rises until it cools enough that it sinks back down. This pattern of rising and cooling happens in big bubbles called Convection Cells hence giving the layer its name 'Convection Zone.'
Photosphere - Also thought of as a layer of the Sun, the Photosphere is actually part of the Sun's atmosphere. This zone is about 500 km (500 miles) thick and is an important part of the Sun. This layer is where the energy is turned into light which normally takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. This is also the source for solar flares occurring which are large tongues of fire far above the surface of the sun.
Chomosphere - The Chromosphere emits a reddish glow caused by very hot hydrogen burning off which can't normally be seen because of the brighter Photosphere except when a total solar eclipse occurs and it is possible to see the 'red rim.'
Corona - The third layer of the Sun's atmosphere is the Corona which can also only be seen during a total solar eclipse. The temperatures in this zone can become as high as 2 million degrees Celsius but once the gases cool it just becomes solar wind.
Core - The first and innermost layer is the Core and is the source for all of the Sun's energy. All the energy and light that reaches earth is started here by nuclear fusion. This layer of the sun is around 150 times denser than water and has a scorching temperature of about 15 million degrees Celsius (About 28 million degrees Fahrenheit).
Radiative Zone - This is the next zone out from the Core. The energy made from the core is in the form of photons when it begins its journey to they surface of the sun and beyond. The energy diffuses out from the core through these photons. Although this layer of the sun may not be as dense as the core the photons take around about 100 000 years to move through the radiative zone because it bounces around due to the density of this layer.
Convection Zone - The next layer of the sun is known as the Convection Zone. Energy from the core in the form of light is converted into heat energy once the density of the Radiative zone as decreased enough. The heat from the Radiative zone rises until it cools enough that it sinks back down. This pattern of rising and cooling happens in big bubbles called Convection Cells hence giving the layer its name 'Convection Zone.'
Photosphere - Also thought of as a layer of the Sun, the Photosphere is actually part of the Sun's atmosphere. This zone is about 500 km (500 miles) thick and is an important part of the Sun. This layer is where the energy is turned into light which normally takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. This is also the source for solar flares occurring which are large tongues of fire far above the surface of the sun.
Chomosphere - The Chromosphere emits a reddish glow caused by very hot hydrogen burning off which can't normally be seen because of the brighter Photosphere except when a total solar eclipse occurs and it is possible to see the 'red rim.'
Corona - The third layer of the Sun's atmosphere is the Corona which can also only be seen during a total solar eclipse. The temperatures in this zone can become as high as 2 million degrees Celsius but once the gases cool it just becomes solar wind.
Energy and how it is Made:
Energy - The Sun makes it's energy by nuclear fusion. This is how it happens; Energy is produced by nuclear fusion during a series of steps called the proton-proton (P-P) chain, fusing hydrogen nuclei to helium nuclei within the Core. The reaction causes all of the Sun's enormous energy to be produced. 1000 grams of hydrogen is converted into 993 grams of helium with 7 grams left over of energy (E=mc2). The Sun radiates in all directions and the total amount of energy created can be calculated by measuring the quantity of solar energy per second reaching every square metre of Earth and then multiplying that by a sphere of the equal radius to that of Earth's orbit. The end result is an astonishingly huge amount of 400 trillion trillion watts! In one second our Sun produces enough energy for almost 500,000 years of the needs of our current civilization on this planet!
Sunspots:
Sunspots are darker and cooler area on the surface area of the sun called the Photosphere. The Photosphere normally has an average temperature of 5500 degees Celsius while sunspots have an average temperature of around 3500 degrees Celsius, so as you might imagine that is quite a big difference.The rotation of Sun can be measured by identifying sunspots and recording how far they move each day. This way you can find out how long it takes for the sun to rotate either at it's poles or the equator. In the graph below it shows that the number of Sunspots peak every 11 years.
Emissions:
Solar Wind - The Sun puts out a huge stream of radiation called Solar Wind which consists of particles (electrons, helium atoms, hydrogen atoms, ions etc.) and high energy x-rays and UV radiation. This Solar Wind travels out from the surface of the Sun at incredible speeds and the wind blasts the inner planets. This event is what has stripped Mars of quite a lot of its atmosphere of which it once had. This disaster hasn't happened to Earth because of the Magnetosphere which is caused by the Earth's magnetic field which diverts most of the Solar Wind around the planet.
Solar Flares - A Solar Flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released and causes a sudden, rapid and intense variation in brightness. Different types of radiation is emitted across just about the entire electromagnetic spectrum; from short wave length gamma rays and x-rays to radio waves at the long wavelength end of the spectrum. As the magnetic energy is being released particles such as electrons, protons and heavy nuclei are heated and accelerated into the solar atmosphere and extends to the outmost atmospheric layer of the Corona. The energy released is ten million times greater than the energy released from an average volcanic explosion here on Earth but only less than one tenth of the energy created each second by the Sun. The duration of a Solar Flare can be as little as a few seconds or as long as an hour.
Coronal Mass Ejections - Also referred to as a (CME) these events are very large eruptions near the surface of the Sun which are driven by kinks in the solar magnetic field. During a CME large bubbles of superheated gas called plasma are ejected from the surface of the Sun. Over the course of several hours (normally how long CME's last for) over 1 billion tons of material have escaped the surface of the Sun and are accelerated to speeds of over one million miles per hour. CME's disrupt the flow of Solar Wind and can even interfere with the operation of artificial satellites and electronic power transmission on Earth. These unique explosions can happen several times a day when the sun is most active or during its quieter periods may only occur once every five days. Below is an animated picture showing what a CME looks like.
Solar Flares - A Solar Flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released and causes a sudden, rapid and intense variation in brightness. Different types of radiation is emitted across just about the entire electromagnetic spectrum; from short wave length gamma rays and x-rays to radio waves at the long wavelength end of the spectrum. As the magnetic energy is being released particles such as electrons, protons and heavy nuclei are heated and accelerated into the solar atmosphere and extends to the outmost atmospheric layer of the Corona. The energy released is ten million times greater than the energy released from an average volcanic explosion here on Earth but only less than one tenth of the energy created each second by the Sun. The duration of a Solar Flare can be as little as a few seconds or as long as an hour.
Coronal Mass Ejections - Also referred to as a (CME) these events are very large eruptions near the surface of the Sun which are driven by kinks in the solar magnetic field. During a CME large bubbles of superheated gas called plasma are ejected from the surface of the Sun. Over the course of several hours (normally how long CME's last for) over 1 billion tons of material have escaped the surface of the Sun and are accelerated to speeds of over one million miles per hour. CME's disrupt the flow of Solar Wind and can even interfere with the operation of artificial satellites and electronic power transmission on Earth. These unique explosions can happen several times a day when the sun is most active or during its quieter periods may only occur once every five days. Below is an animated picture showing what a CME looks like.