the sun
The sun is the reason Earth and all living things still exist. It provides Earth with heat and light which is vital for survival. It is the largest object is in our solar system as it makes up 98% of the solar systems matter. Due to its enormous size compared to everything else, it easily holds on to everything else, causing things to orbit around it.
Layers of the Sun
Layers of the Sun
As you can see in the picture the sun consists of six layers, the core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere and the corona.
The Core
The core is the very inside of the sun and is where it gathers all of its energy. The temperature of this layer is about 15 600 000° K. Extreme temperatures in this layer cause atoms to collide which makes the fall apart, leading to fusion of hydrogen atoms to occur. The energy produced by the fuels the sun, allowing the sun to provide light and heat for us on Earth. This energy is in the form on photons, which is a form of electromagnetic radiation.
Radiation Zone
The next later is the radiation zone. This layer's temperature is 7 million° K. The photons that were being made in the core are so incredibly face that they bounce of each other as they are making their way to the radiation zone. Due to the constant collisions, it takes 100 000 years for photons to make their way through the radiation zone.
The Convection Zone
The next layer is the convection zone. This layer's temperature is about 2 million° K. In this particular zone the transfer of energy occurs much faster than the radiation zone. It is a lot faster because of the cooler temperature which allows the hot gasses coming from the inner layers are caused to grow in size and ascend to the top of the convection zone. When the energy reaches this point it is transferred into the next layer. While the gases are rising their temperature starts to drop, which causes them to lower back into the radiation zone. They then repeat the process and create convection currents. This is the reason that the surface appears to be ‘boiling’.
The Photosphere
The layer after the convection zone is the photosphere. This layer is about 5800° K. This layer of often referred to as the Sun’s surface. However, as the sun is a ball of gasses, it doesn't have an actual Surface. The Photosphere is where the Sun’s light is emitted from. This is the only layer that we can see from Earth, it is also the surface where sunspots appear.
The Chromosphere
This is the thin layer above the photosphere. The chromosphere can only be viewed from the earth during a solar eclipse, this is also the only time we can see it. This layer makes solar flares and prominences. The temperature of this layer is 4500° K.
The Corona
The corona is the area around the sun. It extends over a million kilometres from the sun. Its temperature can reach up to 2 million° K. The corona realises X-ray radiation. Just like the chromosphere, the only time the corona can be seen is during a solar eclipse.
The Solar Cycle
The graph below shows the solar cycle. The vertical axis represents the number of sunspots found in the year. The horizontal axis represents the year.
The Core
The core is the very inside of the sun and is where it gathers all of its energy. The temperature of this layer is about 15 600 000° K. Extreme temperatures in this layer cause atoms to collide which makes the fall apart, leading to fusion of hydrogen atoms to occur. The energy produced by the fuels the sun, allowing the sun to provide light and heat for us on Earth. This energy is in the form on photons, which is a form of electromagnetic radiation.
Radiation Zone
The next later is the radiation zone. This layer's temperature is 7 million° K. The photons that were being made in the core are so incredibly face that they bounce of each other as they are making their way to the radiation zone. Due to the constant collisions, it takes 100 000 years for photons to make their way through the radiation zone.
The Convection Zone
The next layer is the convection zone. This layer's temperature is about 2 million° K. In this particular zone the transfer of energy occurs much faster than the radiation zone. It is a lot faster because of the cooler temperature which allows the hot gasses coming from the inner layers are caused to grow in size and ascend to the top of the convection zone. When the energy reaches this point it is transferred into the next layer. While the gases are rising their temperature starts to drop, which causes them to lower back into the radiation zone. They then repeat the process and create convection currents. This is the reason that the surface appears to be ‘boiling’.
The Photosphere
The layer after the convection zone is the photosphere. This layer is about 5800° K. This layer of often referred to as the Sun’s surface. However, as the sun is a ball of gasses, it doesn't have an actual Surface. The Photosphere is where the Sun’s light is emitted from. This is the only layer that we can see from Earth, it is also the surface where sunspots appear.
The Chromosphere
This is the thin layer above the photosphere. The chromosphere can only be viewed from the earth during a solar eclipse, this is also the only time we can see it. This layer makes solar flares and prominences. The temperature of this layer is 4500° K.
The Corona
The corona is the area around the sun. It extends over a million kilometres from the sun. Its temperature can reach up to 2 million° K. The corona realises X-ray radiation. Just like the chromosphere, the only time the corona can be seen is during a solar eclipse.
The Solar Cycle
The graph below shows the solar cycle. The vertical axis represents the number of sunspots found in the year. The horizontal axis represents the year.
sun spots
Sunspots are seen on the photosphere, these sunspots appear as dark spots due to them being cooler than the surrounding region. Sunspots are only temporary, after a while they return to the solar interior. Occasionally, a sunspot becomes so big that at sunrise/sunset, it can be seen by a naked eye. What makes it impossible for the sun to glow at its full potential are these sunspots.
Solar Flares
A solar flare occurs when there is an explosion on the sun. The explosion is caused by energy being stored in twisted magnetic fields and is suddenly realised. There are three categories to define solar flares, x-class flares, m- class flares and c-class flares. X-class flares are really big and can result in worldwide radio black outs and extreme radiation storms. M-class flares are medium sized and can cause minor radio blackouts in Earths polar regions. C-class flares are the smallest type, they can result in very few noticeable effects on Earth.