Chapter 9 Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is the solar constant?
The Amount of energy that flows out of one square meter of the surface of the sun every second.
Solar scientist attribute the flow pattern in the Sun’s surface, known as supergranulation , to what underlying cause?
The effect on the Photosphere of a deep tier of large connective cells.
Layers of the Sun in order (Inside to Out)
Core Radiation Zone Connective Zone Photosphere Chromosphere Transition Zone Corona Solar Wind
Which of the following is not important inside the sun?
Convection
Radiation
CONDUCTION
All are important
What is the Common Cause of Sunspots, flares, and prominences?
Magnetic Fields
What is the term for loops or sheets of glowing gas ejected from active regions on the solar surface?
Prominences
The helium produced from fusion of hydrogen has less mass than the hydrogen that goes into it’s formation. What happens to the missing matter?
It is converted into energy
The Sun has sufficient hydrogen to continue fusing into helium for how much longer?
5 Billion Years
Why do protons have a difficult time coming together in nuclear fusion?
They both have positive charges
What force brings protons together in nuclear fusion?
The strong nuclear force
The sun spins on its axis roughly once each…
Month
Astronomer on Venus would measure a solar constant___ as Earth.
LARGER THAN
Smaller than
The same as Earth
Where is the energy created that fuels the sun?
In the Core
What takes place in the Core?
Nuclear Fusion
In the Standard solar model, as the distance from the center increases, what happens to the density and temperature
The destiny decreases faster than the temperature
Comparing the solar interior and the solar atmospheric temperature, the temperature in the solar corona is about the same as in…
The bottom of the convention zone
What models provides information about the Sun’s interior?
Mathematical models
Solar energy is produced by
Fusion of light nuclei to make heavier ones
The temperature of the photosphere is about
5,800 K
What two energy transport mechanisms, in order from outside the core to the surface, are found in the Sun?
Radiation, Convention
The solar winds blow outward from
Coronal holes
How long does the sunspot cycle last, on average?
About 11 years
The solution to the solar neutrino problem was
2/3 of the neutrinos transform into a new type during the 8 minute trip to earth.
At every point within the Sun’s interior, gravitational force is balanced due to heat by the outward push of pressure and inward push of gravity. This is known as
Hydrostatic Equilibrium
