Questions and Answers
What is the convective zone?
The region of the sun's interior that is between the radiative zone and the photosphere where energy is carried upward by convection.
What is the photosphere?
The visible surface of the sun.
What is the corona?
The outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.
What is the radiative zone?
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What is the chromosphere?
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What is a prominence?
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What is a solar flare?
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What is a coronal mass ejection?
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What is a sunspot?
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What is an aurora?
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Study Notes
Solar Structure and Phenomena
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Convective Zone: Area within the sun's interior located between the radiative zone and the photosphere; energy is transferred upward by convection currents.
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Photosphere: The sun's visible surface, from which light and heat radiate outward.
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Corona: The sun's outermost atmospheric layer, extending millions of kilometers into space; visible during solar eclipses as a halo.
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Radiative Zone: The layer situated between the core and the convective zone where energy transfer occurs primarily via radiation rather than convection.
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Chromosphere: A thin layer above the photosphere; appears reddish during solar eclipses due to its emission spectrum.
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Prominence: Features composed of cool, incandescent gas that form loop shapes extending into the atmosphere, visible at the sun's edges from Earth.
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Solar Flare: A sudden and intense eruption of energy on the sun's surface; closely tied to magnetic field disturbances and can affect space weather.
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Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): Large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona into space; can impact satellites and power systems on Earth.
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Sunspot: Dark regions on the photosphere that are cooler than their surroundings; indicate magnetic activity and can vary in size.
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Aurora: Natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in polar regions; caused by solar wind particles interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly oxygen and nitrogen.
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Test your knowledge of the sun's structure with these flashcards focused on key terms such as the convective zone, photosphere, and corona. Each card provides essential definitions to help you understand the different layers of the sun's atmosphere and interior.