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Topic 10 - why does the sun shine? > Part 1 - What is the sun? > Flashcards

Part 1 - What is the sun? Flashcards

1
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

It is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere

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2
Q

How does the energy radiated by the Sun permit life on Earth?

A

The radiation from the Sun maintains the surface at a temperature at which liquid water can exist and life can survive and evolve. The process of photosynthesis in plants harnesses this radiation energy and converts it into a form (chemical energy locked up in sugars) that may be utilised by other forms of life.

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3
Q

What is the distance of one AU?

A

150 000 000 km

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4
Q

What is the closest star to the earth?

A

The sun

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5
Q

What distance is the sun from the Earth?

A

150 000 000 km, or one AU

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6
Q

What is an AU?

A

Astronomical unit

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7
Q

What is the radius of the sun?

A

approximately 700 000 km

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8
Q

What is the radius of Earth?

A

6400 km

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9
Q

What is the radius of Jupiter?

A

70 000 km

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10
Q

How do you calculate density?

A

Mass divided by volume

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11
Q

What is a gas giant?

A

a planet primarily composed of hydrogen and helium

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12
Q

Which planets are gas giants?

A

Jupiter and Saturn

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13
Q

Which planets are rocky planets?

A

Mercury, Venus and Mars, Earth

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14
Q

What do the relative densities of the Earth, Jupiter and the Sun tell us about the composition of the Sun?

A

Comparing the density of the Sun to these objects shows that it is comparable to that of Jupiter, but much lower than that of the Earth. Consequently it is likely made of gas rather than rock

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15
Q

What is the density of the earth?

A

5.5 g cm−3

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16
Q

What is the density of the sun?

A

1.4 g cm−3

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17
Q

What is the density of Jupiter?

A

1.3 g cm−3

18
Q

What is the temperature of the surface of the sun in Kelvin?

A

5800 K, or approximately four times that of the melting point of iron. it is known as the photosphere

19
Q

What is the photosphere?

A

the ‘surface’ of the Sun, a thin, semi-transparent layer of gaseous material

20
Q

How thick is the photosphere?

A

500 km

21
Q

In what other situation have you encountered hot material emitting particular colours of light?

A

In the flame tests you studied in Topic 5, where different elements could be identified by the colour of light they emitted

22
Q

What is the sun composed of that allows colour to be emitted?

A

This colour is emitted from hydrogen at high temperatures, suggesting that the Sun is composed at least partly of this gas.

23
Q

What is the Chromosphere?

A

It is the next layer of the suns atmosphere. It is red/pink in colour

24
Q

How thick is the Chromosphere?

A

2000 km thick

25
Q

What is the temperature of the chromosphere?

A

20 000 K

26
Q

What is the final, outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere?

A

The corona

27
Q

How do the temperature and pressure change in the corona to that of the photosphere?

A

temperatures reach upwards of one million kelvin and densities have fallen to one million millionth of that of the photosphere

28
Q

Does the corona emit a lot of radiation?

A

You might expect something so hot to emit lots of radiation but, as with the chromosphere, its very low density means this isn’t the case; even the densest regions of the corona are still a million time less bright than the photosphere

29
Q

What is the most extended layer of the sun? how far does it stretch?

A

The corona is much more extended than either the photosphere or chromosphere, extending millions of kilometres into space

30
Q

Why is the corona and chromosphere hotter than the photosphere?

A

You may wonder why both the chromosphere and corona of the Sun are hotter than the photosphere, when intuitively you might expect them to be cooler. The simple answer is that scientists don’t know – while there must be an extra physical process heating them, its nature is currently uncertain

31
Q

Which layer of the sun emits the most radiation?

A

Photosphere

32
Q

What are sun spots?

A

dark regions on the surface of the Sun

33
Q

Subsequent observations indicated that sunspots closer to the equator of the Sun moved across the disc more rapidly, suggesting that the Sun rotates more rapidly at the equator than the poles.

Is the same true for the rotation of the Earth?

A

No – the Earth rotates at the same rate no matter what the latitude. The fact that the Sun does not do this is further evidence that it is not a solid body

34
Q

Explain what is happening to the surface or the sun where sun spots appear?

A

they look like holes in the surface of the Sun they are actually just regions where the temperature of the gas is lower than their surroundings. This means they emit less light and consequently appear darker

35
Q

What is the constant churning of gas transports heat from the interior to the surface of the Sun called?

A

Convection

36
Q

What are sun granules?

A

a huge column of hot gas rising from the interior of the Sun. As the hot gas reaches the surface it cools and turns over before sinking into the interior of the Sun again – this results in the dark edges that border the bright granules

37
Q

On average how big is one granule?

A

1000 km

38
Q

What are coronal loops?

A

The spectacular arches on the surface of the sun – known as coronal loops – are filaments of hot gas that are held aloft by the Sun’s magnetic field. If you ever played with a magnet and iron filings as a child you will be familiar with the iron filings tracing out the magnetic field

39
Q

What are coronal holes?

A

the darker regions, called coronal holes, are simply regions of the corona where such hot gas isn’t present in such large quantities.

40
Q

What is the core of the sun? What percentage of it makes up the sun?

A

The core comprises the inner 25% of the Sun by radius and critically is the region in which the Sun generates all its energy.

41
Q

What percentage of the radiative zone makes up the sun?

A

45%

Topic 10 - why does the sun shine? (2 decks)

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