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Structure of the Sun

The Six Layers of the Sun

1 The Core

2 The Radiative Zone

3 The Convective Zone

4 The Photosphere

5 The Chromosphere

6 the Corona

1 The core is where the sun's heat and light are produced. This energy from the sun is produced by thermonuclear fusion (nuclear burning). Thermonuclear fusion is when heat and pressure cause smaller atoms to combine to form one larger atom. With stars, the heat and pressure at the core fuses hydrogen atoms to create helium and produces solar energy. Solar energy is solar radiation, including heat and light.

2 The radiative zone carries the energy out from the core through photon emission. Photons in the radiative zone bounce around, and some are absorbed and re-emitted by atoms. These photons carry out the solar energy to the convective zone.

3 The convective zone is full of plasma, and continues to move the solar energy outwards through convection currents. There is a large temperature drop in this zone due to the plasma rising towards the cooler outer edge before falling back towards the core.

4 The photosphere is the visible surface of the sun. Though the photosphere is the visible surface, it is not a solid surface. This is where most of the radiation is expelled from the sun. There is another temperature drop at the Photosphere.

5 The chromosphere is low density, so it is not as clearly defined visually as the photosphere is. The chromosphere is the red rim around the sun during a solar eclipse.

6 The corona and the chromosphere make up the sun's atmosphere, where most solar activity occurs, including sunspots (areas that are cooler than the surface of the sun) and sun flares (explosions of energy near sun spots that occur due to the magnetic field lines of the sun interacting).

The Sun is a yellow dwarf star

The Heliosphere

The sun has electric currents that create a magnetic field. The area within this magnetic field is called the heliosphere.

These electric currents release solar winds, which travel throughout the heliosphere and interact with all objects in our solar system. The spirals of solar winds are called parker spirals.

Solar winds could be responsible for water on the moon. Solar winds carry hydrogen, and when those winds strike the surface of the moon, which has oxygen, they create water.

Solar winds are also responsible for auroras at the Earth's poles. At the poles, Earth's magnetic field does not completely deflect solar winds, an interaction that creates auroras.

When solar winds interact with comets, they create the tails we see.

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