chapter 5 (pt. 2) Flashcards
Sun atoms -> solar wind -> Earth aurora
electron shells
quantum mechanics, Coulomb force, binding energy, permitted orbit, energy level, ground state, quantum leap (transition), excited atom
spectra line
filtergram
solar activity
corona, chromosphere, photosphere, solar wind, granulation, filament, spicule, convective zone, dynamo effect, helioseismology, magnetic carpet, differential rotation, Babcock model
subatomic particle
portion of an atom
proton
atomic particle in nucleus, positive charge, as a single hydrogen (H)
neutron
atomic particle in nucleus, no charge, similar mass to proton
electron
atomic particle making cloud surrounding nucleus, negative charge, low mass
nucleus
massive central core of atom
molecule
two or more atoms bonded together
atom that lost/gained electron(s) is an ion, the process of ionization
isotopes
all the same element but with different number of neutrons
heat
stored energy in matter (agitation among particles, thermal energy) flow from high to low
temperature
measure of the agitation among particles
Celsius scale (ºC)
international system for temperature measurement, relative to water freezing and melting points
Kelvin temperature scale (ºK)
temperature scale starting at absolute zero (-273ºC) 1ºK = 1ºC
absolute zero
theoretical lowest possible temperature, material contains no extractable energy
energy transport by conduction (touching), radiation (radiant energy), and convection (change location)
blackbody radiation
emission (temperature) by a hypothetical perfect radiator, continuous spectrum
wavelength of maximum intensity
wavelength at which perfect radiator emits maximum energy
Wein’s law
hotter an object, shorter the wavelength
inversely proportional to its temperature (emit more photons that have shorter [bluer] wavelengths)
Stefan-Boltzmann law
hotter objects emit more energy than cooler of the same size, in proportion to the fourth power of temperature
Doppler effect
reveals object motion, change in wavelength of a source (sound [pitch change] or light)
compressed light waves (traveling toward observer) are bluer or blueshift, away are longer or redshift
greater the shift the greater the speed or radial velocity, component of an objects velocity
Sun
great ball of hot high pressure gas producing energy (radiation and heat) in core by nuclear fusion mass is 333000 times Earth’s, giving a density only a bit denser than water
1AU - 150 million km from Earth
transit of Venus
when planet (Venus) seen as a dot between Earth and the Sun crossing its face
quanta
the amount of binding energy, study of particle behaviour and laws is quantum mechanics electron held in electron shell around nucleus by Coulomb force am electrostatic force
energy levels
modeled as permitted orbits
like rungs on a ladder (larger nucleus, larger ladder)
-ground state electron in lowest energy level (orbit)
-jump of one orbit to another called quantum leap or transition changes the energy stored in the atom
Kirchhoff’s laws
describe three types of spectra
- continuous spectrum (rainbow of colour): solid, liquid, or gas excited to emit light at all wavelengths hot incandescent light bulb element emits blackbody radiation, the continuous (full) spectrum
- emission spectrum (bright-line spectra): photons emitted by low density gas at specific wavelengths
- absorption spectrum (dark-line spectra): light pass through cool low-density gas, absorbing photon
spectral line
line at specific wavelength, product of energy emission or absorption of atom
absorption line
lines missing from certain wavelengths of the spectra, missing wavelength
solar wind
breeze of material, extend corona moving past Earth at 300 to 800 km/s (up to 1000 km/s)
losing minor amount of mass (10-14 of a solar mass per year) 107 tons/s
corona (Greek ‘crown’)
outermost part of Sun’s atmosphere
record to 20 solar radii
reveal that sunspots linked to features in corona and chromosphere
not much light because very low density, 10^6 atoms/cm^3
near sun 500000 K, outermost 2000000 K
chromosphere
irregular layer, average depth less than Earth’s diameter
at Solar eclipse see with unaided eye, flashes as a thin layer of pink
photosphere
bright visible surface, source of Earth’s sunlight, less than 500 km deep
Sun ‘surface’ (gas, not an actual surface)
granulation
bright regions of convection that cool and sink at darker edges, granulates the size of Alberta
(doppler effect to measure rising and falling), each lasts about 10 to 20 minutes before fading away
filtergram
photograph made using light in one of the dark absorption lines to isolate Solar layer detail
Balmer line filtergram reveals filaments - long dark like solar eruption and spicules
spicules
(5-15min) flame-like jet from supergranule edge (are cooler gas from lower chromosphere)
convective zone
moving material bringing photons to the surface from deep under photosphere
dynamo effect
rotating conductor, stirred by convection, convert some energy to magnetic flow out similar process in molten iron of Earth’s core
helioseismology
interior motion makes vibrations, +/- 15 km on the surface, measured by Doppler shift
period of vibration 5 min (3-20 min. possible) gives temperature, density, rate of rotation of interior
Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) a worldwide network to study ‘sunquakes’
magnetic carpet
network of small magnetic loops covering Sun surface from below photosphere
differential rotation
rotation period differs, equator 25 days, 45º latitude 28 days (Jovian & galaxy)
Babcock model
a progressive tangling and untangling of magnetic fields as gas moves at different rates
sunspots
darker region, less light (Wein law), redder than average = cooler (Stefan-Boltzmann law)
linked to cyclical strengthen and weaken of Sun’s magnetic field, intense magnetic fields appear in bipolar (north-south) magnetic pairs like bar magnet
prominence
ionized gas from photosphere into lower corona, pink color
flare
where opposite fields meet (a reconnection) and cancel out, may last minutes to an hour
coronal mass ejection (CME)
large amounts of ionized gas blown out by reconnection
aurora
northern and southern lights
from electrical currents in Earth’s magnetic field up to million megawatts follow down to poles excite atoms that emit photons about 130km above Earth’s surface
