The Sun
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/281/cache/space118-sun-prominence_28172_600x450.jpg
Composition
-The Sun has its own magnetic spectrum, meaning it has its own spectrum of radiation (UV, Gamma, etc.)
-The Sun is neither solid, liquid, or gas. It is plasma. Plasma is similar to a gas, but much more energized
-So far, 67 elements have been found in the Sun's spectrum
-Since it was created, the Suns core temperature has gone from 15,000 kelvin to 15 million kelvin. (kelvin are the same as Celsius, but kelvins start at absolute zero)
-Hydrogen accounts for creating most of the light in sunlight
The Sun’s radiation can reach so far that it can melt ice on Neptune
Fusion/Fission
The Sun uses fusion to create its energy.
Fission is when a heavier radioactive element's atom, like uranium, breaks apart to make two new atoms
Fusion is taking to atoms and combining them at extreme temperatures to create a new atom and a lighter element
The Sun takes hydrogen atoms and fuses them to make helium
Fission is the opposite of fusion and is another nuclear reation
Both fission and fusion create energy
Life?
There is no life found on the Sun. This is because the temperatures are too extreme, radiation levels are too high, and also there is no water to support life. Ironically, all life is only possible because of the Sun
Motion
The middle of the Sun rotates faster than its poles.
The Milky Way Galaxy moves at 552-630 km per second.
Creation of the Sun
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Keplers_supernova.jpg/300px-Keplers_supernova.jpg
The Universe began as an imploding gas cloud
It continued imploding for millions of years before forming a rotating disk with a large bulge in the middle
Finally, the bulge became the Sun
Layers of the Sun
http://www.solarviews.com/images/VSS00031.jpg
Radiation Zone - layer surrounding the Core
Core - very center of the Sun
Convection zone - layer surrounding radiation zone where heat is transported via convection
Photosphere - layer where the light we see is emitted
Chromosphere - layer that has prominences and sunspots
Corona - a plasma based atmosphere that extends millions of km from the surface into outer space
Ordered by distance from core
Features
http://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/aurora/aurora1s.jpg
The wind enters the Earth at the poles, where it causes the air to glow. It is called the Aurora Borealis, and it is what you see in the background
Solar wind is actually super charged particles coming from the Sun’s corona; it's plasma
Solar wind blows out into space for millions of miles
SOLAR WINDS
Comparison to earth: If Earth is a basketball, then the Sun is the whole court
SIZE
http://unlucidmind.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/basketball-court.jpg
How the Sun is different from other stars
The Sun has no companion star
Most stars have another star and the two revolve around each other, but the Sun is a single star
Sun Spots and Prominences
Prominences
Prominences are large flares that come off the Sun and can extend thousands of miles
They are caused by a sunspot’s magnetic fields
Solar Flares
Solar flares are eruptions of hot gases shot out towards space
They shoot out from Sun spots
Sunspots
Sunpots= cooler areas on the sun
History of the Sun
Aztecs
Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Chalchiuhtlicue, Ehecatl, and Tonatuih are all the Aztec Sun a
The Aztecs had a Sun and moon calendar so they could predict lunar and solar eclipses hundreds of years in advance
http://www.history-aztec.com/four-suns.jpg
Egyptians
Amon Ra is the Egyptian Sun God
Egyptians believed that Amon Ra rode in two boats called the Mandjet (the morning boat) and the Mesektet (the evening boat), this clearly represents the Sunrise and Sunset
http://www.winelegend.com/product/03837_big.jpg
Stonehenge
On the solstices (the highest or lowest point the Sun is in the sky) the Sun shines directly through the rocks at Stonehenge.
Location
Our solar system is located in The Milky Way Galaxy.
The Sun is the center of our solar system
Unique Features and Fun Facts of the Sun
The sun accounts for 99.8% of all the mass in our solar system.
Some solar flares (or prominences) can extend 8,000 miles from the sun. The diameter of the earth is also 8,000 miles
The Sun has
WIND
Bibliography
"Sun." Nasa. n.p., January 2012.
"The Sun." Windows to the Universe. National Earth Science Teachers Association, n.d. Web. January,2011. <http://www.windows2universe.org/sun/sun.html>.
Web. January 2012. <http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sun>.
Various Authors. "The Sun." Wikipedia. n.p., January 2012. Web. January 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun>.
Space and Planets. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1997. Print.
Ronan, Colin A. The Universe Explained: The Earth-dweller's Guide to the Mysteries of Space. New York: H. Holt, 1994. Print.
"Aztec Sun God." Aztec-History.com. n.p., 2006-2012. Web. January,2011. <http;//www.aztec-history.com/aztec-sun-god.html>.
"Nuclear Fusion." Wikipedia. n.p., January,2012. Web. January 2012. <http;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion>.
Chesire, Gerard. The Solar System and Beyond. 2a Portman Mansion: Evans Brothers Ltd, 2006, Print.
Various Authors. "Ra." Wikipedia. n.p., February, 2012. Web. internet. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra>.