The Sun

By: Ashley Murray

Facts About the Sun• Weighs as much as 300,000 Earths• Is the main source of energy for

the Earth• Is a yellow main sequence star• Is 8 light minutes away

The core of the sun…

• Is the innermost layer of the sun• Has a temperature of 15 million kelvins (27

million degrees Fahrenheit)• Is where fusion reactions produce energy• Is where the synthesis of helium takes place• Extends outward to where it covers 25% of

the sun’s radius

Radiation Zone

• The temperature in the radiation zone is cooler than the core.• Extends from the core outward to

about 70% of the sun’s radius• In the radiation zone, energy

generated by nuclear fusion in the core moves outward

Convection Zone

• The outermost layer of the interior• Extends from a depth of 200,000 km

up to the visible surface of the sun• The surface of the convection zone is

where light is created• It is made up of plasma

Photosphere

• The visible surface of the sun• Sunspots are often visible on the

photosphere• One of the coolest regions of the

sun• The densest part of the solar

atmosphere

Chromosphere

• 2000-3000 km thick• When it can be seen it’s reddish in

color• Lies just outside the photosphere• The temperature in the chromoshere

rises slowly as you go further outward

Transition Region

• Above the chromosphere• About 100 km thick• The temperature increases

rapidly• The density drops dramatically

The Solar Corona

• Extends more than one million kilometers from the sun’s surface

• The temperature can reach two million degrees.

• Where the solar wind originates• Has been found to emit x-ray radiation• Can be seen only during solar eclipses

Sunspots• “Sunspots are regions on the sun’s surface

that burn thousands of degrees cooler than their surroundings.”

• “Sunspots were known to ancient astronomers, but their nature still holds many mysteries.”

• “They are formed by complex magnetic storms on the sun.”

Work Cited

• http://www.mjjsales.com/articles/basic-facts-about-the-sun.html

• http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/mysteries_l1/corona.html