The Solar System

Guiding Questions
How does the sun get its energy?

What are the layers of the suns atmosphere?

What are some features of the suns surface?

The Suns Interior

Nuclear Fusion
Hydrogen atoms join together to form helium
An extremely high temperature and pressure are needed

The suns core is 15 million degrees Celcius

Core
The center of the sun

The temperature reaches about 15 million degrees Celsius, high enough for nuclear fusion to occur

Checkpoint: Where in the sun does nuclear fusion occur?

Nuclear fusion occurs in the suns core.

How does the sun get its energy?

The suns energy comes from nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion: The process by which hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing energy.

The Suns Atmosphere

Layers Of the suns Atmosphere

Photosphere: The inner layer of the suns atmosphere. The Greek word photo means light. Corona: The outer layer of the suns atmosphere, which looks like a halo around the sun. The Latin word corona means crown.

Why is it easiest to photograph the suns outer layers during a solar eclipse?
During a solar eclipse, the suns bright inner layers are blocked, making the outer layers easier to see

Solar Wind
A stream of electrically charged particles produced by the suns corona
Near the poles where the particles enter Earths atmosphere, where they hit gas molecules and cause them to glow
Auroras (Northern Lights)

Auroras (Northern Lights)

Checkpoint: During what event could you see the suns corona?
You can see the suns corona during a solar eclipse.

What are the layers of the suns atmosphere?

The suns atmosphere has three layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere, and corona.

Features on the Sun

Sunspots
Areas of gas on the sun that are cooler than the gases around them

Prominences
Reddish loop of gas that protrudes from the suns surface, linking sunspots

Solar Flares
An explosion of hydrogen gas from the suns surface that occurs when loops between sunspots suddenly connect

 How can solar flares affect communications on Earth?

Solar flares increase the solar wind in the corona, which can cause magnetic storms in Earths upper atmosphere

These storms often disrupt radio, telephone, and television signals

What are some features of the suns surface?

Features on or above the suns surface include sunspots, prominences, and solar flares.

Sunspots Prominences Solar Flares Magnetic Storms