Bell Work 1/12/15 Write in agenda. Using page , identify the weather front we are currently experiencing. Think about how the weather was last week and how it is now to help you answer the question.

Open your notes books and add “Sun Notes” to the Table of Contents

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The Sun: Our Very Own Star Good Fact for Earth: The sun is close enough to the Earth to give us light and warmth. The sun is similar to most of the other stars in our galaxy. It is basically a large ball of gas made mostly of hydrogen and helium held together by gravity.

Layers of Sun’s Atmosphere in Order Core-where nuclear fusion occurs (energy is produced here) Radiation Zone Convection Zone- region of the sun where hot and cooler gases circulate in convection currents Photosphere- the lower atmosphere and what we see Chromosphere- orange red layer of atmosphere thousands of miles thick Corona- upper most part of the atmosphere millions of miles thick

Energy Production in the Sun The sun’s energy is produced by nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more nuclei with small masses (such as hydrogen) join together, or fuse, to form a larger, more massive nucleus (such as helium). During the process, energy is produced- a lot of it!

Activity on the Sun’s Surface Sun Spots- Cooler, darker spots on the sun. This is caused by magnetic fields on the sun that tend to slow down the activity in the convective zone. Slow activity = cooler areas on the sun

Activity on the Sun’s Surface Solar Flares- giant storms on the surface of the sun. Magnetic fields cause these disturbances in the solar atmosphere. Solar Flares have temperatures of up to 5 million degrees Celsius.