Solar atmosphere

Objectives You will gain a deeper understanding of Solar processes that occur above the surface of the Sun You will write and discuss vocabulary based on Solar processes that occur above the surface of the Sun

Layers of the atmosphere Divided into 5 layers Temperature Minimum Chromosphere Transition Region Corona Heliosphere

Temperature Minimum Starts at the surface of the Sun and extends to about 500 km Average temperature 4100K Simple molecules like Carbon Monoxide and Water exist in this layer

Chromosphere Starts at 500 km and goes to 2000km Just above the Photosphere of the Sun This layer is to thin to be seen in normal circumstances

Chromosphere Note the reddish pink color Only visible during total eclipses or with special equipment

Chromosphere Taken during the eclipse of 1999

Transition region Gravity ceases to be the dominant force in this region Magnetism takes over Temperature jumps to almost 1,000,000 K in this region

Transition region TRACE 19.5 nm wavelength image of the solar corona with a dark prominence at lower center. The transition region is visible as a low, bright fog over the surface of the Sun and as a thin bright nimbus around the prominence itself. The large, bright structures are magnetic loops in the solar corona.

corona Latin for “Crown” No defined altitude above the Sun 1-3 million K We don’t know what causes this heating

corona Larger image of 1999 Eclipse

corona Visible during an eclipse or with special equipment The most turbulent area of the Sun

corona Coronal loops are the results of magnetic storms on the Sun 1000’s of times bigger than Earth

corona This is also where solar flares come from (also called Coronal Mass Ejections) A portion of the Corona is excited and jumps up from the surface These usually only last 15 or so minutes but can cause serious problems on Earth

corona

heliosphere This area encompasses the entire Solar System It is the entire region of space that is influenced by the Sun Voyager 1 left this region on August 25, 2012

Voyager 1 This probe was launched in 1977 Designed to tour the solar system and then head out into interstellar (between the stars) space Discovered to have left the solar system last year