Chapter 12 Flashcards
The suns core converts what into what
Hydrogen into helium
Compared to earth what is the sun’s radius and mass
It has a radius 100x earth and 300,000x earths mass
How did we find the suns mass
Kepler’s modified third law
What is the suns surface temperature
5780 kelvin
What is the suns core temperature
15 million kelvin
How does the sun replenish its heat
Through fusion processes
What is the structure of the sun
The corona, the chromosphere, sunspots, photosphere, prominence, convection zone, and its core.
What is the photosphere
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
What is the radiative zone
Near the suns center, energy moves outwards by photon radiation. It is the region surrounding the suns core
What is the convection zone
It is the zone above the radiative zone where gas sinks and rises
What is the suns atmosphere
It is the extremely low density gases that lie above the photosphere
What happens on the suns atmosphere temperature wise the further you go out
The temperature decreases as soon as you leave the photosphere, however the higher you go the temperature grows hotter possibly reaching several million kelvin
What is the chromosphere
The lower part of the suns atmosphere
What is the corona
It is the non uniform part of the atmosphere that we can see during solar eclipses. Can reach 1 million kelvin in heat
What is the first step in the proton proton chain
What is the second step in the proton proton chain
What is the third step in the proton proton chain
What are neutrinos
What gets created from the suns nuclear fusion process. They lack electrical charge
What are sunspots
They are dark regions on the surface of the sun that can go up to a few hundred kilometers
What are prominences
They are huge glowing gas plumes that eject from the lower chromosphere into the corona
What are solar flares and what causes them
Solar flares are caused by sunspots, they are brief but bright explosions and eruptions of hot gas. It can brighten over minutes or hours
What emissions do solar flares let out
Radio and x-ray
What is the cause of solar flares
Intense twisting and breakage of the suns magnetic field lines
What is a coronal mass ejection
An explosion that can shoot gas across the solar system and cause auroral displays
What is solar wind
It is atoms that stream into space from the sun and go across the entire solar system.
What is the solar cycle
A prominence in activity of the sun that changes in a yearly pattern
What is differential rotation and does the sun undergo it
Yes it does, differential rotation is when different parts of the sun are faster than others and therefore rotate faster.
How often does the solar cycle change
It may vary from 6 to 16 years. Considering the polarity direction of sunspots the cycle is 22 years.
