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Explore the lifecycle of the Sun, from its ordinary middle-sized star status to the energy created by nuclear fusion in its core. Learn about its multiple layers, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, and the features like sunspots, prominences, and faculae. Discover fascinating facts about the Sun's interior, mass, temperature, and energy output, and delve into the solar energy conversion process through equations like E=mc2. Unravel the mysteries of the Sun's energy generation and its impact on Earth.
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Lifecycle of the Sun www.assignmentpoint.com
Take-Away Points • The Sun is an ordinary middle-sized star • The sun creates energy by nuclear fusion in its core • The visible surface of the Sun is called the photosphere • A thin cool layer, the chromosphere, allows us to determine what the sun is made of • A very thin but very hot outer layer is called the corona • Convection in the sun is revealed by granulation • Features on the sun include sunspots, prominences, spicules and faculae • Disturbances on the sun affect electrical and electronic equipment on Earth www.assignmentpoint.com
The Sun • Distance: 150 million km (93 million miles) = 8.3 light minutes • Diameter: 1.4 million km (870,000 miles) = 109 x Earth • Mass = 330,000 x Earth • Bulk density = 1.4 gm/cc • Surface temperature = 5800 K • Rotation: 25 days at equator, 34 at poles www.assignmentpoint.com
The Solar Interior • Ideal Gas Law: • Pressure x Volume is proportional to Temperature • Pressure = weight of overlying material www.assignmentpoint.com
Interior of the Sun www.assignmentpoint.com
Structure of the Sun • Core: 0-20% of radius. Energy produced by nuclear fusion • Radiative Zone: 20-70% of radius: Energy travels as thermal radiation • Tachocline: Boundary of Radiative Zone: Exterior slips over interior • Convective Zone: Outer 30% of Sun: Energy moves by convection www.assignmentpoint.com
Core of the Sun • Energy output: 90 billion megatons/second • Energy output = 6 microwatts/kg – less than a candle • Human body outputs 1.2 W/kg – 200,000 times greater • By volume: Core of Sun = 0.9 W/m3; Human body = 1200 W/m3. • Trying to duplicate sun’s energy output not practical on Earth; We try to use other fusion processes • Energy takes 10,000 – 100,000 years to reach surface www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Energy • 4 H He • 4H = 4 x 1.00794 = 4.03176 • He = 4.002602 • Difference = 0.029158 = 0.7% = 1/140 • Converted to energy via E=mc2 • Once you get over being freaked out by Einstein, this is middle school math www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Energy • E=mc2 • m = kg • c = m/sec = 300,000,000 • E = joules (one Watt = 1 J/sec) • Sun’s energy output = 3.8 x 1026 W • How much mass is that per second? • m = E/c2 = 3.8 x 1026/(300,000,000)2 = 4 billion kg/sec www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Energy • Sun converts 4 billion kg of matter to energy every second • Matter conversion = 1/140 of original mass • Sun converts 560 billion kg of H to He (5.6 x 1011 kg) every second • Mass of Sun: 2 x 1030 kg • 2 x 1030 kg/ 5.6 x 1011 kg/sec = 3.6 x 1018 sec = 114 billion years www.assignmentpoint.com
The Sun We Can See • Photosphere: The Visible Disk • More transparent than air • We can see a couple of hundred kilometers deep • Chromosphere • Thin cooler atmosphere • How we know what stars are made of • Corona • Very thin but very hot • Why so hot is a mystery www.assignmentpoint.com
Layers Of The Sun www.assignmentpoint.com
Features On The Sun • Limb Darkening • Granulation • Sunspots • Faculae • Plages: hot clouds in the Chromosphere • Flares • Prominences www.assignmentpoint.com
Surface of the Sun www.assignmentpoint.com
Supergranulation www.assignmentpoint.com
Supergranulation www.assignmentpoint.com
Sunspots and Faculae www.assignmentpoint.com
Sunspots, Faculae, Limb Darkening www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Spicules www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Prominence www.assignmentpoint.com
Solar Corona www.assignmentpoint.com
