1. The Sun: Our Very Own Star
Chapter 3 Section 2

2. Can you imagine what our life would be like if there was no sun.
Takes up 99% of the mass of our solar system
The Sun is a large ball that consists mainly of Hydrogen and Helium
1.3 million Earths to fill the inside of the gas giant

3. Life Cycle of the Sun

5. Characteristics Closest star to earth Center of our solar system
The bright star in the center is Proxima Centauri
About 4.2 light years away

6. Characteristics
No solid surfaces
Ball of Gas

7. Characteristics The Sun’s temperature is different in different places
Core
27 Million °F
Surface
9,800 °F

8. Characteristics Energy releaser…
Each square centimeter emits roughly as much light as a 6000 Watt Lamp

9. Characteristics
It takes 8 ½ minutes for the light from the sun to reach Earth

10. Structure of the Sun (pg 68)
Core
Radiative zone
Convection zone
Photosphere
Chromosphere
Corona

11. INNER ZONE Core Center of the sun NUCLEAR FUSION occurs here
High temperature
High pressure
Gravitational Pull

12. INNER ZONE Radiative zone
Energy moves by RADIATING OUTWARD from core to convective zone

13. INNER ZONE Convective zone energy transferred by CONVECTION
warmer gasses RISE
cooler gasses SINK

14. Atmosphere
Photosphere
gives off VISIBLE light
The width of California

15. Atmosphere
Chromosphere
high activity of solar flares

16. Atmosphere Corona Outer most layer Blends into space
Charged particles that escape corona create GLOWING HALO

17. Physical Features Sunspots Some as large as 50,000 miles in diameter
Dark in color due to COOLER TEMPERATURES

18. Physical Features Sunspots 11 year cycle (observed by Galileo)
Caused by powerful MAGNETIC FIELDS

19. Physical Features Solar Flares Violent EJECTIONS of gas
Occur when sunspots move CLOSE together
CREATE Solar winds

20. Physical Features Solar Winds CHARGED particles ejected from SUN
Flow from CORE towards edge of solar system

21. Physical Features Solar Prominences LOOPED ejection of gas
Occur when sunspots move towards each other, but don’t meet

22. Observing the Sun!
Sun From Space

23. Outdoor Activity In a group of four A meter stick
One orange circle (9 inches in diameter)
One Manila/transparency (Earth 2 millimeters
Measure the distance between earth and sun (24.5 meters apart)