10 Questions
What was the major drawback of Kelvin and Helmholtz's suggestion that the Sun stayed hot thanks to gravitational contraction?
It predicted that the Sun could last only about 25 million years, which is far less than the age of Earth.
When is/was gravitational contraction an important energy-generation mechanism for the Sun?
right after the Sun began fusing hydrogen in its core
What do we mean when we say that the Sun is in gravitational equilibrium?
The hydrogen gas in the Sun is balanced so that it never rises upward or falls downward.
What was one of the major drawbacks of the suggestion that the Sun stayed hot thanks to gravitational contraction?
It was limited by its prediction that the Sun could only last about 25 million years, much less than the age of Earth.
What two forces are balanced in gravitational equilibrium within the Sun?
Outward pressure and gravity
What is the average temperature of the surface of the Sun?
6,000 K
Which is closest to the temperature of the core of the Sun?
1 million K
From the center outward, which of the following lists the 'layers' of the Sun in the correct order?
Core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona
Which layer of the Sun do we normally see?
Photosphere
Based on its surface temperature of 5,800 K, what color are most of the photons that leave the Sun's surface?
Yellow
Test your knowledge of Chapter 14 'Our Star' from The Cosmic Perspective, 7th edition with this multiple-choice quiz. This quiz focuses on the drawback of Kelvin and Helmholtz's suggestion about the Sun's heat source.
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