The Sun And Its Radiation

Question 1

On the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, what is the sun classed as?

Answer 1

Main sequence star

Question 2

If 2 photons have different energies, the higher energy will also have

Answer 2

A higher frequency

Question 3

What causes granulation on the Sun’s photosphere?

Answer 3

Convection currents rising from the convection zone

Question 4

Emission lines of an element lie at 600-700nm, what colour will show

Answer 4

Red

Question 5

What is the name of the process through which nuckear fusion occurs?

Answer 5

The proton-proton chain

Question 6

Explain the chemical makeup of deuterium

Answer 6

One proton and one neutron

Question 7

What causes the earths aurora?

Answer 7

Charged particles from the Sun hitting the atmosphere

Question 8

Why must telescopes designed to detect X-rays be placed on satellites rather than Earth?

Answer 8

The Earth’s atmosphere blocks all X-rays from space

Question 9

If a star is moving towards Earth how will its light appear?

Answer 9

Blue-shifted

Question 10

The peak emission wavelength of a distance star is half the peak emission wavelength of our sun, what does this imply about the temperature of the distant star?

Answer 10

It is twice the temperature of the sun

Question 11

What is the order for the parts if the Sun moving from the inner to the outer?

Answer 11

Core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere

Question 12

What part of the spectrum will a star that is 2500K emit?

Answer 12

Infrared

Question 13

When is an emission line formed?

Answer 13

When a hot gas emits light

Question 14

Over the course of a sunspot cycle, when do sunspots appear?

Answer 14

First at mid latitudes and then near the equator

Question 15

What is the balance between gas pressure and gravitational pull in the Sun known as?

Answer 15

Hydrostatic equilibrium

Question 16

What is the final step in the proton-proton chain?

Answer 16

Two helium-3 nuclei fuse to mask a helium-4 and 2 protons

Question 17

What is the relationship between the speed of light, wavelength and frequency?

Answer 17

c = f x lambda

Question 18

What is granulation on the Sun’s surface evidence of?

Answer 18

Convection currents

Question 19

What are the visible lines that hydrogen emit a part of?

Answer 19

The Balmer series

Question 20

What is true about the Sun’s corona?

A - the corona is slightly cooler than the chromosphere
B - the corona is a string source of x-rays
C - the corona is the innermost region of the Sun’s atmosphere
D - the corona is about 10 times hotter than the suns core

Answer 20

B

Question 21

How often does the solar minimum occur?

Answer 21

Every 11 years

Question 22

What is the hottest place in the solar system?

Answer 22

Nuclear fusion experiments on Earth

Question 23

What do fusion reactions in the suns core produce that are not elements ?

Answer 23

Neutrinos, positrons, electrons, protons

Question 24

If the Sun were moving away from Earth what would happen to the spectrum of the Sun?

Answer 24

Red-shift

Question 25

If the temperature of a black body decreases, what happens to its emission spectrum?

Answer 25

Has a lower maximum intensity

Question 26

How does the surface temperature of a white dwarf compare to the sun?

Answer 26

Higher than the suns surface temperature

Question 27

What is a spectrum that consists of a continuous spectrum with individual absorption lines signature for?

Answer 27

A hot, dense object seen through a cooler gas

Question 28

What are the main fusion reactions in the sun?

Answer 28

The proton-proton chain and the CNO cycle

Question 29

What is the temperature of the core of the Sun?

Answer 29

15,000,000K