1. The Sun’s Energy

2. Sun Fact’s The sun is the closest star to the earth. It provides earth’s adequate heat for life to exist Temperature= 5,600 Kelvin (K). This is about 9,600 degrees Fahrenheit (F) The sun is a yellow star It is composted mostly of the gases hydrogen and helium The earth is about 5,000 Km and you could fit 100 earth’s across the sun and over a 1,000,000 earth’s inside the sun to equal it’s size!

3. Where does the sun get it’s energy The sun obtains it’s energy through a process called Nuclear fusion. Watch the video below to get a better understanding of this process. It is interactive and you need to click on certain items while watching. Don’t forget to fill in your notes as you watch Fusion vs Fission Video

4. Structure of the Sun Photosphere= This is considered the surface of the sun Sunspots= dark spots that appear on the surface on the surface of the sun. They appear darker because they are cooler than the surround areas – Sunspots seems occur in an 11 year cycle

5. Image of the photosphere. Can you pick out the sunspots as well? Close up image of sunspots. Images: Nasa.gov

6. Structure continued… Chromosphere= The chromosphere is the layer above the photosphere. It appears as a red glow around the sun and is almost transparent. Corona= Which means crown is the outermost layer of gases that surround the sun. It is only seen during a solar eclipse. – These layers are not seen normally because of the brightness of the photosphere

7. Corona Here you can see an image of the Sun’s corona during a solar eclipse. Image: Nasa. gov

8. Interesting Features of the Sun Besides sunspots there are a few other really interesting features that occur on the sun including: – Solar wind= a steam of charged particles moving away from the sun at around 400 km/sec – Solar Prominences= Huge arches (loops) of glowing gas that extend outward from the sun’s surface – Solar Flares= explosions occurring on the sun. Solar flares often occur near sunspots. – Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) = massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields that is released into space.

9. IN this image you can see the bright spot (almost like the flash on a camera). This is an image of a solar flare captured by NASA. Image of a solar prominence. You can clearly see the arching loops. Image: NASA.gov

10. How do the activities on the Sun impact Earth? Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections depending on the strength can actually impact Earth. Earth has a protective magnetic field that shields us from some activities in space, however, sometimes things disrupt and get through the magnetic field. – Can cause damage to Earth orbiting satellites – Can affect radio communication and even electricity – Cause Auroras to be seen on earth (Northern Lights)

11. Here you can see the magnetic field around the earth in relation to the sun. Image: NASA.gov Image of the Aurora Borealis (Nothern Lights) Over Canada. Image: NASA.gov

12. Why do we have seasons on the earth? Our seasons are impacted by two factors: – The sun – Our earth is tilted on it’s axis Image: Learner.org

13. Seasons continued… Earth travels around the sun in an elliptical pattern so our distance from the sun is NOT what causes our seasons Our earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees this is what causes our seasons – Summer is warmer than winter (in each hemisphere) because the Sun’s ray hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than winter. – Days are also much longer during the summer and shorter during the winter

14. Solstice Solstice= occur twice a year (winter and summer solstice – Occurs when the tilt of the earth’s axis is pointed directly towards or away from the sun – Winter solstice = occurs around Dec 21 and is the shortest day of the year – Summer solstice= occurs around June 21 and is the longest day of the year

15. Equinoxes Equinoxes occur twice a year as well (vernal and autumnal equinox) – Day light is equal to night – Vernal equinox occurs around March 21 (Spring) – Autumnal equinox occurs around September 21 (Fall)

16. Photosynthesis: Made possible by the Sun All organisms need energy to survive. Some make their own energy while others have to obtain or eat to get their energy. Plants get their energy through a process called photosynthesis Photosynthesis = process of absorbing energy from sunlight to make food (sugar) 6CO2 + 12H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O

17. Keep in mind Photosynthesis requires sunlight. Plants absorb sunlight and Carbon Dioxide. Turn it into sugar and release oxygen as a waste product. Image: Howstuffworks.org