Chapter 14: Our Star

Question 1

What is gravitational equilibrium?

Answer 1

The equilibrium between the outward push of internal gas pressure and the inward pull of gravity.

Question 2

What is energy balance?

Answer 2

The balance between the rate at which fusion releases energy in the suns core and the rate at which the sun’s surface radiates energy into space.

Question 3

What is the luminosity refer to?

Answer 3

The sun’s total power output. 3.8 X 10^26 Watts

Question 4

What are the layers from the sun (from the inside to the outside)?

Answer 4

The Core
The Radiation Zone
The Convection Zone
The Photosphere
The Chromosphere
The Corona

Question 5

What is solar wind?

Answer 5

The constant stream of particals continually blown outward in all directions from the sun.

Question 6

What is the Corona?

Answer 6

The outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere.
The temperature is approximately 1 million K.
The corona emits most of the Sun’s X - Rays.
The density of the corona is also very low.

Question 7

What is the Chromosphere?

Answer 7

The middle layer of the solar atmosphere.
The temperature is approximately 10000 K.
The Chromosphere radiates most of the sun’s ultraviolet light.

Question 8

What is the photosphere?

Answer 8

The lowest layer of the sun’s atmosphere as well as the visible surface of the sun.
The temperature is approximately 6000 K.
The Photosphere is where one would find sunspots.

Question 9

What is the convection zone?

Answer 9

Where energy generated in the solar core moves upward, transported by the rising of hot gas and the falling of cool gas called convection.

Question 10

What is the radiation zone?

Answer 10

Where energy moves outward in the form of photons of light.

The temperature is approximately 10 million K.

Question 11

What is the solar core?

Answer 11

Where nuclear fusion transforms hydrogen into helium.

The temperature is approximately 15 million K.

Question 12

What is radiative diffusion?

Answer 12

The seemingly random and slow outward migration of photons from the core of the sun.

Question 13

What causes sun spots?

Answer 13

Sunspots occur where tightly wound magnetic fields poke nearly straight out from the solar interior. These field lines suppress convection within the sunspot and prevent surrounding plasma from entering the sunspot.

Question 14

What causes solar prominences?

Answer 14

Solar prominences occur when gass from the chromosphere and/or corona get trapped in the magnetic fields that cause sunspots.

Question 15

What is the sunspot cycle?

Answer 15

A cycle in which the average number of sunspots on the sun gradually rises and falls. It lasts approximately 22 years.

Question 16

What are coronal mass ejections?

Answer 16

Coronal mass ejections occur when large numbers of charged particals from the sun’s corona are ejected into space by solar flares and other solar storms.

Question 17

What effect can coronal mass ejections have on earth?

Answer 17

They can result in unusually strong auroras, as well as hamper radio comunication, disrupt electrical power delivery, and damage the electronic components in orbiting satellites.