Universe Today
Composition:
Structure:
Diagram:
Visible, IR and UV radiation - The light that we see coming from the Sun is visible, but if you close your eyes and just feel the warmth, that's IR, or infrared radiation. And the light that gives you a sunburn is ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The Sun produces all of these wavelengths at the same time.
Photosphere 6000 K - The photosphere is the surface of the Sun. This is the region where light from the interior finally reaches space. The temperature is 6000 K, which is the same as 5,700 degrees C.
Photosphere 6000 K - The photosphere is the surface of the Sun. This is the region where light from the interior finally reaches space. The temperature is 6000 K, which is the same as 5,700 degrees C.
Radio emissions - In addition to visible, IR and UV, the Sun also gives off radio emissions, which can be detected by a radio telescope. These emissions rise and fall depending on the number of sunspots on the surface of the Sun.
Coronal Hole - These are regions on the Sun where the corona is cooler, darker and has less dense plasma.
2100000 - This is the temperature of the Sun's radiative zone.
Convective zone/Turbulent convection - This is the region of the Sun where heat from the core is transferred through convection. Warm columns of plasma rise to the surface in columns, release their heat and then fall back down to heat up again.
Coronal loops - These are loops of plasma in the Sun's atmosphere that follows magnetic flux lines. They look like big arches, stretching up from the surface of the Sun for hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
Core - The is the heart of the Sun, where the temperatures and pressures are so high that nuclear fusion reactions can happen. All of the energy coming from the Sun originates from the core.
14500000 K - The temperature of the core of the Sun.
Radiative Zone - The region of the Sun where energy can only be transferred through radiation. It can take a single photon 200,000 years to get from the core, through the radiative zone, out to the surface and into space.
Neutrinos - Neutrinos are nearly mass-less particles blasted out from the Sun as part of the fusion reactions. There are millions of neutrinos passing through your body every second, but they don't interact, so you can't feel them.
Chromospheric Flare - The Sun's magnetic field can get twisted up and then snap into a different configuration. When this happens, there can be powerful X-ray flares emanating from the surface of the Sun.
Magnetic Field Loop - The Sun's magnetic field extends out above its surface, and can be seen because hot plasma in the atmosphere follows the field lines.
Spot - A sunspot. These are areas on the Sun's surface where the magnetic field lines pierce the surface of the Sun, and they're relatively cooler than the surrounding areas.
Prominence - A bright feature that extends above the surface of the Sun, often in the shape of a loop.
Energetic particles - There can be energetic particles blasting off the surface of the Sun to create the solar wind. In solar storms, energetic protons can be accelerated to nearly the speed of light.
X-rays - In addition to the wavelengths we can see, there are invisible X-rays coming from the Sun, especially during flares. The Earth's atmosphere protects us from this radiation.
Bright spots and short-lived magnetic regions - The surface of the Sun has many brighter and dimmer spots caused by changing temperature. The temperature changes from the constantly shifting magnetic field.
Eight Planets- Sun Facts