1. OUR SUN

2. Solar telescope

3. FUSION Need very high temperatures H + H → He + energy Energy= heat
Light
EM radiation

4. Compositon of the Sun
90% H & 10% He
Plasma- gas stripped of electrons

5. Sun Layers

6. core
Where Fusion is taking place
15 million ºC

8. Radiative Zone EM radiation is traveling through this zone
2.5 million ºC

9. CONVECTIVE ZONE Convection currents
Hot gases rise to surface, cooler gases sink= turbulance

10. Photosphere
Sun’s surface
Bubbling plasma
Only 6,000 ºC!

11. chromosphere
Sun’s atmosphere
20,000 C
Source of flares/prominences

12. chromosphere

13. CORONA
“Crown”
See only during solar eclipses
2 million C
Made of ions

14. Journey from the center of the sun

15. SUNSPOTS
Cool spots on sun
Caused by twisting of magnetic field?

16. Oct. 17, 2012
Main sequence star

17. How long is a sunspot cycle?

18. 11 year sunspot cycle
Cycle number

19. Solar prominences (filaments)
Follows magnetic force of sunspots
Can last for weeks to a year
harmless

20. Solar flares Violent eruption Last for minutes Can damage satellites
Can reach Earth- ohoh!

21. Coronal Mass Ejections
Produced in corona
Large storms
Can cause power outages, satellite damage and auroras

22. Solar wind Ions are so hot, gravity can’t hold them onto the sun
400 km/sec (1 million mph)
Today: speed: km/sec

24. AURORAS (Northern lights) caused when Suns’ ions enter Earth’s atm.

29. Auroras from space

30. Solar activity SpaceWeather.com