1. WHAT IS SUN??
The Sun is the star at the center of
our solar system. It is a nearly
perfect sphere of hot plasma,
primarily composed of hydrogen
and helium. The Sun's immense
gravity and the nuclear fusion
reactions occurring at its core
produce a vast amount of energy,
which is emitted in the form of light
2. KEY FACTS ABOUT THE SUN:
Composition: The Sun is
about 74% hydrogen and 24%
helium, with trace amounts of
heavier elements.
Energy Source: The Sun's
core is incredibly hot and dense,
with temperatures reaching
millions of degrees Celsius. In its
core, hydrogen atoms undergo
nuclear fusion to form helium,
releasing a tremendous amount of
energy in the process. This energy
radiates outward and provides light
and heat to the solar system.
Radiation: The energy
produced by the Sun is emitted as
electromagnetic radiation across a
wide spectrum, from radio waves to
gamma rays. The visible light
portion of this spectrum is what we
perceive as sunlight.
Structure: The Sun has
several layers, including the
core where fusion occurs, the
radioactive zone where energy
moves outward through
radiation, and the convective
zone where energy moves
through the motion of plasma
currents. Above these layers
lies the photosphere, which is
the visible surface of the Sun.
Sunspots: These are
temporary, cooler regions on
the Sun's surface caused by
magnetic activity. They
appear as dark spots
compared to the
surrounding areas and are
associated with solar flares
and other solar phenomena.
3. KEY FACTS ABOUT THE SUN:
Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections
(CMEs): These are bursts of energy and matter from the Sun's
surface that can have significant impacts on Earth's space
environment, causing geomagnetic storms and affecting satellite
communications and power grids.
Solar Wind: The Sun continuously emits a stream of charged
particles called solar wind, which interacts with Earth's magnetic field and
forms the magnetosphere. This is responsible for phenomena such as
auroras (northern and southern lights).
Life Cycle: The Sun is currently in the main sequence phase of its
life cycle, where it has been steadily burning hydrogen for billions of
years. Eventually, it will exhaust its hydrogen fuel and start fusing helium,
leading to expansion into a red giant phase and then eventually shedding
its outer layers to become a white dwarf.
4. ANATOMY OF THE SUN
The Sun is a massive, incredibly hot ball of gas that
serves as the center of our solar system. Its anatomy
can be divided into several layers, which is given
below:
CORE
RADIATIVE ZONE
CONVENTION ZONE
PHOTOSPHERE
CHROMOSPHERE
TRANSITION REGION
CORONA
5. CORE OF SUN:
This is the central region of the Sun
where nuclear fusion occurs. The extreme
temperature and pressure in the core
cause hydrogen atoms to fuse together to
form helium, releasing an enormous
amount of energy in the process. This
energy is in the form of gamma rays.
6. RADIATIVE ZONE:
Surrounding the core is the radiative
zone. In this layer, energy generated
in the core is transferred outward
through radiation. Photons created in
the core bounce around, being
absorbed and re-emitted by ions in
this zone, gradually making their way
to the next layer.
7. CONVENTION ZONE:
Above the radiative zone is the
convection zone. Here, the energy moves
through the Sun's outer layers through
convection, a process similar to boiling
water. Hot plasma from the radiative zone
rises to the surface, releases its energy in
the form of light, and then cools and sinks
back down to be reheated. This creates
the characteristic granular appearance on
the Sun's surface known as the
photosphere.
8. PHOTOSPHERE:
The photosphere is the visible
surface of the Sun that emits light
and heat into space. It's the layer
from which most of the Sun's visible
radiation escapes. This is where
features like sunspots, which are
cooler regions caused by magnetic
activity, can be observed.
9. CHROMOSPHERE:
Above the photosphere lies the
chromosphere, a layer of the Sun's
atmosphere that extends a few thousand
kilometers above the photosphere. It's
visible during solar eclipses as a reddish
or pinkish glow around the darkened disk
of the Moon. The chromosphere is heated
by the energy from the photosphere and
contains features like spicules and
prominences.
10. TRANSITION REGION:
The transition region is a thin layer
located between the chromosphere
and the corona. It's characterized by
a rapid increase in temperature over
a small distance.
11. CORONA:
The corona is the outermost layer of the
Sun's atmosphere and extends millions of
kilometers into space. It is incredibly hot,
with temperatures reaching millions of
degrees Celsius, despite being farther
from the core than the lower layers. The
corona is visible during total solar
eclipses as a white, glowing halo around
the black disk of the Moon.
12. RESULT OF SUN’S ANATOMY:
The Sun's anatomy is a result of the
balance between gravitational forces
trying to collapse the Sun and the
internal nuclear fusion reactions
generating outward pressure. This
balance maintains the Sun's stable
state and allows it to emit light and
heat, which are essential for life on
Earth.