The Sun

Question 1

What is the core temp of the sun?

Answer 1

15 Million Kelvins (MK)

Question 2

Sun surface temperature?

Answer 2

5800 Kelvin

Question 3

Radius of the sun compared to earths Radius?

Answer 3

Suns radius is 109 times the earths radius

Question 4

How old is the sun?

Answer 4

4.6 Billion years

Question 5

What is the distance between the earth and the sun, also known as unit AU?

Answer 5

1 AU = 1.5 x 10^8 km = 499 light seconds

Question 6

What does the solar system contain?

Answer 6

The Sun, planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets and dust.

Question 7

Distance between Neptune and the sun

Answer 7

30 AU

Question 8

Composition of the sun?

Answer 8

74% Hydrogen, 25% Helium and 1% other elements.

Question 9

How much mass does the sun have compared to Jupiter?

Answer 9

Suns mass is about 1000 times the mass of Jupiter

Question 10

What percentage of the solar systems mass does the sun contain?

Answer 10

about 99.8%

Question 11

Where is the sun hottest and what is the temperature?

Answer 11

Core is the hottest part at 15MK.

Question 12

Temperature of the photosphere?

Answer 12

5800 K

Question 13

What does the term ‘light’ or ‘electromagnetic radiation’ encompass?

Answer 13

It covers the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays.

Question 14

What is the wavelength for visible light?

Answer 14

400 nm to 700 nm.

Question 15

How is light analysed in terms of waves?

Answer 15

Light is analysed as travelling in electromagnetic waves with frequency, speed, velocity and amplitude?

Question 16

What is the equation for lights speed and wavelength?

Answer 16

c=λf, where
𝑐 is the speed of light,
𝜆 is the wavelength, and
𝑓 is the frequency.

Question 17

What are the main interactions of light?

Answer 17

Emission, absorption, transmission and reflection.

Question 18

How does the Doppler effect affect light?

Answer 18

Light from a moving source shifts to higher or lower frequencies depending on whether the source is moving towards or away from the observer.

Question 19

What do different wavelengths of light represent?

Answer 19

Different colours

Question 20

What do spectra tell us?

Answer 20

Spectra carry information about the light source and the medium the light has passes through

Question 21

What is a black body?

Answer 21

An idealised object that absorbs all radiation and emits a characteristic continuous thermal spectrum.

Question 22

What does Wiens Law relate to?

Answer 22

The position of the maximum of the thermal spectrum to the temperature of a body

Question 23

What does the Stefan-Boltzmann Law describe?

Answer 23

The Flux (power per square meter) emitted by a black body.

Question 24

What is a photon?

Answer 24

Packet of energy described by quantum mechanics.

Question 25

How is photon energy related to frequency?

Answer 25

By the equation

E = hf

where h is Plancks constant

Question 26

What are the 3 types of spectra?

Answer 26

Thermal (continuous), emission (specific lines)
absorption (continuous with dark lines)