Chapter 12

Question 1

The suns core converts what into what

Answer 1

Hydrogen into helium

Question 2

Compared to earth what is the sun’s radius and mass

Answer 2

It has a radius 100x earth and 300,000x earths mass

Question 3

How did we find the suns mass

Answer 3

Kepler’s modified third law

Question 4

What is the suns surface temperature

Answer 4

5780 kelvin

Question 5

What is the suns core temperature

Answer 5

15 million kelvin

Question 6

How does the sun replenish its heat

Answer 6

Through fusion processes

Question 7

What is the structure of the sun

Answer 7

The corona, the chromosphere, sunspots, photosphere, prominence, convection zone, and its core.

Question 8

What is the photosphere

Answer 8

The low density upper layer of the sun that lets photons escape. It is what give the sun its color and the layers below it are opaque in color

Question 9

What is the radiative zone

Answer 9

Near the suns center, energy moves outwards by photon radiation. It is the region surrounding the suns core

Question 10

What is the convection zone

Answer 10

It is the zone above the radiative zone where gas sinks and rises

Question 11

What is the suns atmosphere

Answer 11

It is the extremely low density gases that lie above the photosphere

Question 12

What happens on the suns atmosphere temperature wise the further you go out

Answer 12

The temperature decreases as soon as you leave the photosphere, however the higher you go the temperature grows hotter possibly reaching several million kelvin

Question 13

What is the chromosphere

Answer 13

The lower part of the suns atmosphere

Question 14

What is the corona

Answer 14

It is the non uniform part of the atmosphere that we can see during solar eclipses. Can reach 1 million kelvin in heat

Question 15

What is the first step in the proton proton chain

Answer 15

Question 16

What is the second step in the proton proton chain

Answer 16

Question 17

What is the third step in the proton proton chain

Answer 17

Question 18

What are neutrinos

Answer 18

What gets created from the suns nuclear fusion process. They lack electrical charge

Question 19

What are sunspots

Answer 19

They are dark regions on the surface of the sun that can go up to a few hundred kilometers

Question 20

What are prominences

Answer 20

They are huge glowing gas plumes that eject from the lower chromosphere into the corona

Question 21

What are solar flares and what causes them

Answer 21

Solar flares are caused by sunspots, they are brief but bright explosions and eruptions of hot gas. It can brighten over minutes or hours

Question 22

What emissions do solar flares let out

Answer 22

Radio and x-ray

Question 23

What is the cause of solar flares

Answer 23

Intense twisting and breakage of the suns magnetic field lines

Question 24

What is a coronal mass ejection

Answer 24

An explosion that can shoot gas across the solar system and cause auroral displays

Question 25

What is solar wind

Answer 25

It is atoms that stream into space from the sun and go across the entire solar system.

Question 26

What is the solar cycle

Answer 26

A prominence in activity of the sun that changes in a yearly pattern

Question 27

What is differential rotation and does the sun undergo it

Answer 27

Yes it does, differential rotation is when different parts of the sun are faster than others and therefore rotate faster.

Question 28

How often does the solar cycle change

Answer 28

It may vary from 6 to 16 years. Considering the polarity direction of sunspots the cycle is 22 years.