The light we see from the Sun comes from which layer?
answer
photosphere
question
Why couldn't you stand on the Sun's surface?
answer
The Sun doesn't have a solid surface.
question
The area in the Sun's atmosphere located above the chromosphere (1500-10,000 km) where the temperature rises dramatically is called the
answer
transition zone.
question
The luminosity of the Sun is a measure of
answer
the total energy emitted by the Sun in all directions.
question
Hydrostatic equilibrium in our Sun is the balance between
answer
gravitation and pressure.
question
When we glimpse the chromosphere at the start and end of totality, its color is
answer
red, due to ionized hydrogen at lower pressure.
question
The percentage (by number of atoms) of the Sun that is Hydrogen is about
answer
91%
question
How long does the sunspot cycle last, on average?
answer
about 11 years
question
The most striking example of solar variability as the
answer
Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715.
question
The numbers of sunspots and their activity peak about every:
answer
eleven years.
question
The critical temperature the core must reach for a star to shine by fusion is
answer
10 million K.
question
The primary source of the Sun's energy is
answer
the strong force fusing hydrogen into helium.
question
What natural barrier tried to prevent two protons from combining?
answer
electromagnetic repulsion
question
The critical temperature to initiate the proton-proton cycle in the cores of stars is:
answer
10 million K.
question
Which is the net result of the proton-proton chain?
answer
4 protons = 1 helium 4 + 2 neutrinos + gamma rays
question
The speed of light is 3.00 × 10⁸m/s. If 2.00 kg of mass is converted to energy, how much energy will be produced?
answer
1.80 × 10¹⁷ J
question
The temperature of the layer of gas that produces the visible light of the Sun is:
answer
5,800 K
question
How many planet Earths could fit inside the Sun?
answer
a little over a million
question
The density of the Sun is most similar to which object?
answer
Jupiter
question
About what percent of the incoming energy from the Sun' reaches Earth's surface?
answer
50-70%
question
The solar constant is a measure of
answer
the energy received by the Sun at the location of Earth.
question
From inside out, which is in the correct order for the structure of the Sun?
answer
radiative zone, convective zone, chromosphere
question
By what mechanism does solar energy reach the Sun's photosphere from the layer just underneath it?
answer
convection
question
The vibrations of the Sun reveal information about
answer
the interior structure of the Sun.
question
What two energy transport mechanisms, in order from outside the core to the surface, is found in the Sun?
answer
radiative diffusion, convection
question
What is the size of a typical granule or convection cell seen in the photosphere?
answer
1,000 km
question
The pattern of rising hot gas cells all over the photosphere is called:
answer
granulation.
question
The outward pressure of hot gas in the Sun
answer
is balanced by the inward gravitational pressure.
question
When the chromosphere can be seen during a solar eclipse, it appears:
answer
red.
question
From where does most of the solar wind flow?
answer
coronal holes
question
What is it about the Sun's corona that astronomers don't understand?
answer
The corona is much hotter than layers of the Sun that are closer to the solar interior.
question
The percentage (by mass) of the Sun that is Hydrogen is about
answer
71%
question
The percentage (by mass) of the Sun that is Helium is about
answer
27%
question
A loop of gas following the magnetic field lines between sunspots' poles is
answer
a prominence.
question
Visible sunspots lie in the
answer
granulation in the photosphere.
question
As the Sun rotates, an individual sunspot can be tracked across its face. From eastern to western limb, this takes about
answer
two weeks.
question
Sunspots
answer
come in pairs, representing the north and south magnetic fields.
question
Sunspots are dark splotches on the Sun. Which statement is true?
answer
They are extremely hot, but cooler than the surrounding areas of the Sun.
question
How would sunspots appear if you could magically remove them from the Sun?
answer
They would shine bright orange in color, like Arcturus.
question
While observing the Sun, you note a large number of sunspots. What can you conclude?
answer
There are likely to be an above average number of flares and prominences.
question
Loops of glowing hydrogen seen hanging over the solar limb during totality are:
answer
prominences.
question
During a period of high solar activity, the corona
answer
is more irregular.
question
The solar winds blow outward from
answer
coronal holes.
question
Which of these are not associated with the active Sun?
answer
granulation
question
Suppose a large flare is detected optically. How long until radio interference arrives?
answer
simultaneously
question
Which of the following is NOT a property of neutrinos?
answer
cannot interact at all with normal matter
question
In the proton-proton cycle, the helium atom and neutrino have less mass than the original hydrogen. What happens to the "lost" mass?
answer
It is converted to energy.
question
In the proton-proton cycle, the positron is
answer
an anti-electron.
question
(SA) Explain what the granulation of the solar surface is related to.
answer
The surface of the Sun is highly mottled or granulated. Each granule is about 1,000 km across. The granulation is produced by the convection (boiling) of the Sun's gases. Each granule is the top of a convection cell that is welling up.
question
(SA) Describe the transport of energy, from the deep interior of the Sun, to when it finally reaches the Earth. Include the various methods of transport.
answer
Energy is produced in the core. It enters the radiative zone, where it moves as radiation. As it gets further out from the center, the gas gets less ionized and so more opaque to radiation. In this region the energy moves by convection, with hot gas physically rising through the Sun. When it reaches the surface, or photosphere, the low density makes the Sun transparent, and the energy escapes as light.
question
(SA) If the corona is so hot, why must we wait for a total solar eclipse to glimpse it?
answer
It is so hot that almost all the energy it gives off, by Wien's Law, is not going to be in the visible, but the X-ray portion of the spectrum. Also, it is very low density, so there are far more atoms at 5,800 K giving off a lot of visible light than the few out in the corona.
question
(SA) In the proton-proton cycle, two positrons are produced. What are they similar to, and how are the different? What happens to them?
answer
Positrons are the antiparticle to the electron. They are like the electron in mass but positive in charge. When positrons inevitably meet electrons, both particle and antiparticle are annihilated and energy is given off.
question
(SA) Why is studying the neutrino so vital to understanding the solar interior?
answer
Alone of all the products of the proton-proton cycle, only the neutrino can easily escape the Sun and reach the Earth at almost the speed of light. The flux of neutrinos should be in agreement with the observed solar constant, if our model of solar energy production is correct.
question
(SA) A solar flare creates a radio disturbance on Earth a few minutes after going off and again several days later. Explain.
answer
A flare will give off intense X-rays and ultraviolet light, which travels to Earth in about 8 minutes. But also given off is an intense burst of high energy particles which travel to the Earth at speeds much less than the speed of light. They can take several days to reach the Earth. Both forms of radiation create radio disturbances when they reach the Earth.
Haven't found what you need?
Search for quizzes and test answers now
Quizzes.studymoose.com uses cookies. By continuing you agree to our cookie policy
