The Sun Our Star

The Sun -Contains 98% of the solar system’s total mass FACT FILE The Sun -Contains 98% of the solar system’s total mass -Over one million Earths could fit inside it -It is over 4.6 Billion years old and is around half way through it’s life cycle -The Earth orbits the sun at an average of about 93 million miles (150 million km= 1 AU) - It is classified as a G2V star - Light leaving the sun takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth. -It is not a solid, but mainly exists in a plasma state of matter -Is the Earth’s primary source of energy -Worshipped as a supernatural deity by almost every ancient civilization. -Worshiped as a supernatural deity by almost every ancient civilization. 2

Energy in the Sun’s core takes a million years to reach the surface! Temperature and pressure is so intense in the core that nuclear fusion reactions take place. 700 million tons of Hydrogen is converted to Helium every second!

Most solar activity seems to be related to an 11 year cycle. The rotation of plasma creates a large magnetic field around the sun. This intense magnetism fuels many powerful phenomena. Most solar activity seems to be related to an 11 year cycle. First noticed by ancient Chinese astronomers, Sunspots are temporary areas of intense magnetic activity. They appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding areas. Solar Flares are large explosions of the Sun’s atmosphere occurring in when stored magnetic energy is suddenly released. A loop of cooler plasma that extends for 1,000’s of kilometers within the corona is called a Solar Prominence. The Solar Wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun

A Solar Eclipse occurs whenever the Moon passes in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. This can be partial or total. Many eclipses occur throughout the world each year. Very few are total eclipses, however. The fact that the Moon perfectly fits over the Sun is only a cool coincidence. Although the Sun’s actual diameter is 400 times greater than that of the Moon, it is 400 times further away from us.

Group #1 Topic: Role and position in the Solar System and Beyond Main Ideas: History, age, birth, death, lifespan, movements, positioning, distances, gravity, eclipses, classification, interesting facts / trivia, etc.... Task: Create a 5 minute presentation that teaches your area of expertise to the class. Make it interesting, but to the point. Design 2 PowerPoint slides that clearly and concisely outline your information. Emphasize important facts, ideas and definitions. Highlight key terms.

Group #2 Topic: Composition and Physical Characteristics Main Ideas: Composition, chemicals, elements, size, mass, shape, layers, temperature, spectrum analysis, nuclear fusion, zones, interesting facts / trivia, etc.... Task: Create a 5 minute presentation that teaches your area of expertise to the class. Make it interesting, but to the point. Design 2 PowerPoint slides that clearly and concisely outline your information. Emphasize important facts, ideas and definitions. Highlight key terms.

Group #3 Topic: Studying the Sun Main Ideas: Importance of, early ideas, measurements, observations, studying, investigations, experiments, probes, new findings, interesting facts / trivia, etc... Task: Create a 5 minute presentation that teaches your area of expertise to the class. Make it interesting, but to the point. Design 2 PowerPoint slides that clearly and concisely outline your information. Emphasize important facts, ideas and definitions. Highlight key terms.

Group #4 Topic: Topic: Solar Activity Main Ideas: Sun spots, flares, prominences, storms, cycles, magnetic fields, monitoring, interesting facts / trivia, etc... Task: Create a 5 minute presentation that teaches your area of expertise to the class. Make it interesting, but to the point. Design 2 PowerPoint slides that clearly and concisely outline your information. Emphasize important facts, ideas and definitions. Highlight key terms.

Group #5 Topic: Influence on our Planet Main Ideas: Historical / cultural significance, solar power, energy, life, radiation, photons, neutrinos, uniqueness, benefits, interesting facts / trivia, etc... Task: Create a 5 minute presentation that teaches your area of expertise to the class. Make it interesting, but to the point. Design 2 PowerPoint slides that clearly and concisely outline your information. Emphasize important facts, ideas and definitions. Highlight key terms.