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Layers of the Sun Quiz
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Layers of the Sun Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What part of the Sun extends from the core to about a quarter of the way to its surface?

  • Convective zone
  • Photosphere
  • Core (correct)
  • Radiative zone
  • Which zone of the Sun has the hottest temperature and where nuclear reactions take place?

  • Radiative zone
  • Core (correct)
  • Photosphere
  • Convective zone
  • In which layer of the Sun does light scatter causing a single photon to take a million years to pass through?

  • Core
  • Radiative zone (correct)
  • Convective zone
  • Photosphere
  • Which zone of the Sun reaches up to the surface, making up 66% of the Sun's volume, and has roiling 'convection cells' of gas?

    <p>Convective zone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the lowest layer of the Sun's atmosphere that emits the light we see?

    <p>Photosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which zone is known for large bubbles of hot plasma moving upward towards the photosphere?

    <p>Convective zone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are sunspots?

    <p>Areas that are cooler than the surrounding photosphere created by the Sun's magnetic field.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do solar flares represent?

    <p>Blasts of light and particles triggered by magnetic energy releases on the Sun.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is the corona sometimes referred to as 'the Sun’s upper atmosphere'?

    <p>Because it is the layer immediately above the chromosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What triggers solar flares?

    <p>Release of magnetic energy on the Sun.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to occur?

    <p>Ejection of immense clouds of magnetized particles by the Sun at high speeds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do coronal holes appear as dark splotches in ultraviolet views of the Sun?

    <p>Because they represent areas with lower density in the Sun’s atmosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Structure of the Sun

    • The Sun's core extends from the center to about a quarter of the way to its surface, making up roughly 2% of the Sun's volume.
    • The core is incredibly dense, with a density almost 15 times that of lead, and holds nearly half of the Sun's mass.
    • Nuclear reactions in the core, where hydrogen is fused to form helium, power the Sun's heat and light.

    Radiative Zone

    • The radiative zone extends from the core to 70% of the way to the Sun's surface.
    • Light from the core gets scattered in this zone, taking a million years to pass through.
    • Radiation from the core bounces off in this zone, hence the name radiative zone.

    Convective Zone

    • The convective zone reaches up to the Sun's surface, making up 66% of the Sun's volume.
    • Roiling "convection cells" of gas dominate this zone, with large bubbles of hot plasma moving upward toward the photosphere.
    • There are two main kinds of solar convection cells: granulation cells and supergranulation cells.

    Photosphere/ Chromosphere/ Heliosphere

    • The photosphere is the lowest layer of the Sun's atmosphere, emitting the light we see.
    • The photosphere is much cooler than the core, but still hot enough to make carbon boil.
    • Most of the Sun's radiation escapes outward from the photosphere into space.
    • The chromosphere is a thin layer where the chromosphere rapidly heats and becomes the corona.
    • The corona is the Sun's upper atmosphere, where sunspots, coronal holes, and solar flares occur.
    • During total solar eclipses, the chromosphere looks like a fine, red rim around the Sun, while the corona forms a beautiful white crown with plasma streamers.

    Magnetosphere/ Heliosphere

    • The Sun generates magnetic fields that extend out into space to form the interplanetary magnetic field.
    • The vast bubble of space dominated by the Sun's magnetic field is called the heliosphere.
    • Every 11 years, the Sun's geographic poles change their magnetic polarity, leading to a change in the Sun's activity.

    Features of the Sun

    • Sunspots are areas of the Sun's surface that are slightly cooler than the surrounding photosphere, created by bits of the Sun's magnetic field poking out from the interior.
    • Coronal holes are patches of the Sun's atmosphere with much lower density than the surrounding areas.
    • Solar flares are energetic bursts of light and particles triggered by the release of magnetic energy on the Sun.
    • Coronal mass ejections are immense clouds of magnetized particles blasted into space by the Sun at over a million miles per hour.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the different layers of the Sun including the core, radiative zone, convective zone, and photosphere/chromosphere/heliosphere. Learn about the characteristics and functions of each layer.

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