Quiz #3

Question 1

Why does the sun shine

Answer 1

It is hot

Question 2

In what form does most energy leave the sun?

Answer 2

Most is in the form of EM radiation, and a minimal amount is particle radiation

Question 3

How long does mass annihilated at the center take to reach the surface

Answer 3

1 million years, therefore the light we see was mass 1 million years ago

Question 4

Neutrino

Answer 4

• neutral subatomic particle
• carries energy away in a fusion reaction (like the sun)
• billions of them pass through you every second
• they interact with almost nothing, but occasionally but an electron, which causes the electron to spit out a photon, and the photon is what we detect
• different types of neutrinos come from different types of fusion (CNO or regular)
• 3 varieties

Question 5

Structure of the Sun

Answer 5

Core

• temp: 8mk-15mk
• 25% of suns radius

Radiative Zone

• temp: 2mk-8mk
• 45% of suns radius

Convection Zone

• temp: 6000k-2mk
• 30% of suns radius
• convective cells are convection currents

Question 6

How long do energy and light take in the radiative Zone?

Answer 6

1 million years

Question 7

How long do energy and light take in the convective Zone

Answer 7

0.2 million years

Question 8

What happens in the sun due to convection currents?

Answer 8

• sunspots
• granules
• super granules

Question 9

The proton-proton cycle

Answer 9

• Hydrogen to about 94% of the suns
• the heat comes from the annihilated mass of fusion
• 4 million tons of mass are annihilated into light every second
• 3 steps

Question 10

Step 1 of the Proton-Proton Cycle

Answer 10

Bring two protons close enough to each other, (due to gravity on the sun, but on earth we have to input a lot of energy. The weak nuclear force squeezes the positive out of one of the protons, and you get deuterium (Hydrogen-2). This step takes a billion years. You input 2 protons and you get H2, a positron, and a neutrino.

Question 11

Step 2 of the Proton-Proton Cycle

Answer 11

After the positron and neutron leave the process, you take the deuterium from step one and a hydrogen-1 from outside of the reaction, and form Helium-3. You will get a gamma ray because mass is annihilated. The gamma ray might heat up a neighboring particle, or leave the sun. So, you input the deuterium and a Hydrogen-1, and you get Helium-3. This process takes a second to occur.

Question 12

Step 3 of the Proton-Proton Cycle

Answer 12

After the process has happened twice, use the two helium-3- to get helium 4 and 2 recycled protons. This step takes a million years.

Question 13

3 atmospheres of the sun

Answer 13

Photosphere

Chromosphere

Corona

Question 14

Photosphere

Answer 14

• visible to us (brightest in the visible spectrum)
• 5700K (pale yellow)
• Sunspots
• faculae
• granules
• super granules

Question 15

Sunspots

Answer 15

• cooler parts of the photosphere that are cooler and glow dark red
• dark center called the umbra
• Lighter surrounding ring called the penumbra
• caused by convective cells near the surface of the sun
• well grouped

Question 16

Faculae

Answer 16

• hotter regions associated with “active regions” (regions of the magnetic field)
• not well grouped like sunspots
• bright, white
• cover the surface but are easier to see near the limb

Question 17

Chromosphere

Answer 17

• particle are hotter because they are excited by the suns dynamic magnetic fields
• prominence
• filaments
• spicules
• plage

Question 18

Prominence

Answer 18

• flame like structures held above the limb by magnetic fields

Question 19

Filaments

Answer 19

• dark ribbons on the solar disk

- same as prominence but with the sun as the background instead of space

Question 20

Spicules

Answer 20

• jet like structures covering the chromosphere

- the grass like top of the granule

Question 21

Plage

Answer 21

• similar to faculae on the photosphere
• well grouped
• covering larger areas
• hotter regions

Question 22

Corona

Answer 22

• coronal holes

Question 23

Coronal holes

Answer 23

• asymmetric
• occur at solar minimum
• at the solar maximum, it is symmetric and there are no holes

Question 24

Granules

Answer 24

• cell like structures about 1000km, acros
• bright center due to rising convection
• park parts (intergranval lanes) due to cooler gas and plasma
• each cell lasts 0.5-1 hour before it morphs and changes

Question 25

Super Granules

Answer 25

• only observable by Doppler imaging
• caused by convective cells deep within the sun
• associated with the chromosphere is network

Question 26

Solar Flare

Answer 26

An explosion caused by chaotic magnetic fields

Question 27

Coronal Mass Ejection

Answer 27

• solar storm

- pushes ions outward

Question 28

Cosmic Rays

Answer 28

Particle radiation in which the particle is a heavy nucleus

Question 29

Solar Wind

Answer 29

Particle radiation in which the particle is a light radius