Science Flashcards
Aurora
A bright display of ever-changing light caused by solar radiation interacting with the upper atmosphere in the region of the poles
Absorption Spectrum
A continuous spectrum produced when white light is passed through a cool gas under low pressure; the gas absorbs selected wavelengths of light, and the spectrum looks like it has dark lines superimposed
Chromatic Aberration
The property of a lens whereby light of different colors is focused at different places
Chromosphere
The first layer of the solar atmosphere found directly above the photosphere
Continuous Spectrum
An uninterrupted band of light emotes by an incandescent solid liquid or gas under pressure
Corona
The outer weak layer of the solar atmosphere
Doppler Effect
The apparent change in frequency of electromagnetic or sound waves caused by the relative motions of the source and the observer
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The arrangement of electromagnetic radiation according to wavelength
Emission Spectrum
A series of bright lines of particular wavelengths produced by a hot gas under low pressure
Nuclear Fusion
The way in which the sun produces energy; nuclear fusion occurs when less massive nuclei combine into more massive nuclei releasing tremendous amounts of energy
Photon
A small packet of light energy
Photosphere
A region of the sun that radiates energy to space; visible surface of the sun
Prominence
A concentration of gasses above the solar surface that appears as a bright arch like structure
Refracting telescope
A telescope that uses a lens to bend and concentrate the light from distant objects
Reflecting telescope
The process whereby light bounces back from an object at the same angle at which it encounters a surface and with the same intensity
