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Natural Science > The Sun > Flashcards

The Sun Flashcards

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1
Q

>one of the 200 billion stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy
>an “average star” compared to the other stars in the universe

A

Sun

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2
Q

Earth’s primary source of energy

A

Sun

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3
Q

The Sun’s Structure

A
  1. solar interior
  2. photosphere
  3. chromosphere
  4. corona
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4
Q

radiates most of the sunlight we see and therefore appears as the bright disk of the Sun

A

Photosphere

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5
Q

consists of a layer of incandescent gas less than 500 kilometers (300 miles) thick

A

Photosphere

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6
Q

grainy structure due to granules

A

Photosphere

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7
Q

this gas spreads laterally, cooling causes it to darken and sink back into the interior

A

Granule

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8
Q

each granule survives for only __ mins

A

10-20 mins

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9
Q

What gives the photosphere the appearance of boiling?

A

combined motion of old granules being replaced by new ones

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10
Q

up-and-down movement of gas

A

Convection

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11
Q

produces the grainy appearance of the photosphere

A

Convection

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12
Q

responsible for the transfer of energy in the uppermost part of the Sun’s interior

A

Convection

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13
Q

“color sphere”

A

Chromosphere

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14
Q

thin layer of hot, incandescent gases a few thousand kilometers thick

A

Chromosphere

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15
Q

observable for a few moments during a total solar eclipse (appears as a thin red rim around the Sun)

A

Chromosphere

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16
Q

contains numerous spicules

A

Chromosphere

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17
Q

flamelike structures that extend upward about 10,000 kilometers into the lower corona

A

Spicules

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18
Q

produced by the turbulent motion of the granules below

A

Spicules

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19
Q

the outermost portion of the solar atmosphere

A

Corona

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20
Q

visible only when the brilliant photosphere is blocked

A

Corona

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21
Q

normally extends a million kilometers or so from the Sun

A

Corona

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22
Q

streams of protons and electrons that boil from the corona

A

Solar Wind

23
Q

travels outward through the solar system at high speeds (250–800 kilometers a second)

A

Solar Wind

24
Q

interacts with the bodies of the solar system, altering its appearance

A

Solar Wind

25
Q

Magnetic fields deflect..?

A

Solar Wind

26
Q

upward from the photosphere..

A
27
Q

although the coronal temperature exceeds that of the photosphere, it radiates much less energy overall because of..?

A

its very low density

28
Q

the high temperature of the corona is probably caused by..?

A

sound waves generated by the convective motion of the photosphere

29
Q

just as boiling water makes noise, energetic sound waves generated in the photosphere are believed to be

A

absorbed by the gases of the corona, thereby increasing its temperature

30
Q

small, dark pores about 1,600 kilometers in diameter

A

Sunspots

31
Q

appear dark only by contrast with the brilliant photosphere

A

Sunspots

32
Q

Sunspots temperature

A

1,500 K less than that of the solar surface

33
Q

over the course of 11 years, the yearly average number of sunspots slowly increases and then return to normal levels before rising again for the subsequent cycle

A

11-year sunspot cycle

34
Q

huge cloudlike structures, made of chromospheric gases

A

Prominences

35
Q

best observed when they are on the edge of the Sun

A

Prominences

36
Q

2 Promiences

A

quiescent and eruptive prominences

37
Q

appearance of a fine tapestry and seem to hang motionless for days at a time

A

Quiescent Prominences

38
Q

material within them is continually falling like luminescent rain

A

Quiescent Prominences

39
Q

rise almost explosively away from the Sun

A

Eruptive Prominences

40
Q

reach velocities up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) per second and may leave the Sun entirely

A

Eruptive Prominences

41
Q

brief outbursts that normally last an hour or so and appear as a sudden brightening of the region above a sunspot cluster

A

Solar Flares

42
Q

during Solar Flares’ existence..

A

enormous quantities of energy are released across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, intensifying solar winds

43
Q

following a strong solar flare, Earth’s upper atmosphere above the magnetic poles is set aglow for several nights

A

Auroras

44
Q

Northern lights

A

aurora borealis

45
Q

Souther lights

A

aurora australis

46
Q

What is the source of sun’s energy?

A

Proton-proton chain reaction

47
Q

Proton-proton chain reaction = ?

A

Nuclear Fusion

48
Q

During nuclear fusion..

A
  • hydrogen atoms fuse to produce helium
  • mass of helium produced < mass of hydrogen that produced helium
  • mass that is “lost” is converted into energy (light, heat and invisible forms of radiation)
49
Q

Proton-proton Chain reaction = Nuclear Fusion

A

>four hydrogen atoms have a combined atomic mass of whereas the atomic mass of helium is 4.003, or 0.029 less than the combined mass of the hydrogen

>tiny missing mass is emitted as energy

>only a small percentage (0.7%) of the hydrogen in the proton– proton reaction is actually converted to energy
>the Sun is consuming an estimated 600 million tons of hydrogen each second, with about 4 million tons of it being converted to energy
>the by-product of hydrogen burning is helium, which forms the solar core

50
Q

To initiate the proton–proton reaction, the Sun’s internal temperature must have reached several million degrees. What was the source of this heat?

A

COLLISION OF PARTICLES

51
Q

When a gas is squeezed (compressed)

A

its temperature increases

52
Q

Although all of the bodies in the solar system were heated in the same manner, the Sun was the only one, due to its ____ , that became hot enough to trigger the proton–proton reaction.

A

mass

53
Q
A

Natural Science (6 decks)

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