The Sun

1.0 Characteristic of the Sun

y It is a star and the nearest star to the Earth. y It is the center of the Solar System. y It is the biggest ob ject in the Solar System and has a large force of gravity because of its big mass. y The force of gravity causes the planets and asteroids in the Solar System to orbit around it. Data concerning the Sun Age About 5000 million years old Distance from the Earth 145 497 870 km Composition 90% hydrogen , 8% helium , 2% other gases Size About 1 400 000km in diameter About 100 x size of the Earth Mass 300 000 x mass of the Earth Density 0.27 x density of the Earth

Force of gravity Surface temperature Core temperature Rotation

28 x gravity of the Earth 6 000 c 15 000 000 c Rotates on its axis from west to east ; takes about 25 days per rotation.

2.0 Structure of the Sun

1. The Sun has an atmosphere which can be divided into 3 layers : a) The corona b) The chromospheres c) The photosphere 2. The corona a) The outermost layer of the Sun s atmosphere . It is actually a layer of gas boiled off from the sun. b) It extends for thousands of kilometers into outer space. c) It is the hottest layer of gas in the Sun s atmosphere , with a temperature of about 1 500 000 c . d) It is a faint whitish blue region and can only be seen during an eclipse of the sun. e) It gives out X-rays. 3. The chromospheres. a) It is a layer of gas below the corona.

b) It means a sphere of colour , so called because of its reddish-pink colour. c) It is about 5 000 km thick. d) Its temperature can rise as high as 50 000 c.

e) It only can be seen during an eclipse of the Sun because it is not bright. 4. The photosphere a) It is a layer of heavy gas which can be seen from the earth as a bright lighted surface. b) It means a sphere of light. c) It has a temperature of about 6 000 . d) Its surface appears very rough because the gases from the core bubble through it. e) Solar flares , prominences and sunspots erupt from its surface . 5. The Core a) It is made up of hydrogen and helium under high pressure. b) It is the hottest part of the Sun with o temperature of about 15 000 000 c . c)Thermonuclear reactions which are continuosly going on in the core generate the Sun s heat and light.

3.0 Structure of the Sun

1. Sunspots
a) Sunspots are dark areas on the surface of the sun. b) These areas are dark because they are cooler than the other parts of the sun s surface. c) It will disappear after several hours or several weeks. d) They are caused by magnetic fields which slown down the emission of heat from the core of the Sun. e) It has different sizes and some may have diameters of several thousand kilometers. f) They usually occur in pairs. g) They appear to move across the Sun s surface because the Sun in rotating from west to east.

2. Flares
a) Solar Flares are bursts of light from the Sun;s surface. b) They give out a lot of energy although they last from several minutes to several hours only. c)They can reach a temperature of 5 000 000 c. d) They also release charged particles into outer space , and some of these perticles reach the Earth.

3. Prominences
a) Prominences are clouds of burning hydrogen and helium exploding from the sun s surface.

b) These clouds of hot gases appear bright red and curved , and may reach a height of more than 1000 000 kilometres. c) They can have a temperature of 10 000 c. d) The hot gases cool down after some time and are pulled back to the Sun by the Sun s gravity. At the same time some of the gases escape into outer space. e) The gases which causes the tail of a comet to point away from the Sun.

4.0 Effects of Sunspots , Flares and Prominences on the Earth