CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUN. .

At the centre of the solar system lies our very own star known as the sun. . The sun is one of the many billions of stars seen at night in our galaxy. . The sun is a huge mass of hot,glowing gases. . The sun is nearly 110 times bigger than the earth. . The sun appears bigger and brighter than all the other stars. .this is because the sun is the nearest star to earth. . It is about 150 million km away from earth. .the journey to the nearest star takes about four light years. .sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach earth. . The sun is a medium-sized star known as a yellow dwarf. . The sun is the largest object in the solar system. .the mass of the sun is about 98% of the total mass of the solar system. . However,the density is very much less than that of earth because it is not a solid object but it made up primarily of gases. . The sun is about 4.6 billion years old and will continue to exist for another 5.5 billion years. .

Table 9.1 charcteristics of the sun

PROPERTY DIAMETER MASS DENSITY SURFACE TEMPERATURE COMPOSITION 2 C RACTERISTICS KM 1 COMPARED TO EART

13 2

TIMES T E DIAMETER OF EART

X1 3 KG KG M-3 CELCIUS

333 2 TIMES T E MASS OF EART 27 TIMES T E DENSITY OF EART

-6

227-273 TIMES T E TEMPERATURE ON EART T E EART 'S ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS OXYGEN,NITROGEN,CARBON DIOXIDE, INERT GASES AND WATER VAPOUR.

COMPOSED OF ABOUT 7

YDROGEN,

HELIUM AND OTHER ELEMENTS

SUCH AS CARBON,NITROGEN, AMOUNT LESS THAN 2

OXYGEN,SILICON AND IRON WHICH

Structure of the sun

 The surface of the sun consists of three aseous ayers:photosphere,chromosphere and corona. .
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THE PHOTOSPHERE

 The photosphere is the innermost atmospheric layer of dense gases.

.it considered as the surface of the sun. .

 The visible light that reaches earth from the sun originates from
the photosphere. .

 This layer is about 00 km thick and has an average temperature

of about 6000 c. ,it is one of the coolest layers of the sun. .

 The photosphere experiences turbulence,much like the surface of a

simmering pot of water. .this is due to the explosive eruptions of energy on the surface of the sun. .

 Sometimes,interactions with the suns magnetic field result in

the appearance of sunspots on the photosphere. .

THE CHROMOSPHERE y The chromosphere is the layer above the visible photosphere. . y This layer is about 10000 km thick. . y Solar energy passes through this region on its way out from the centre of the sun.the temperature of this layer rangers between 6000 c and 0000 c. . y The chromophere glows red because hydrogen gives off a reddish colour at these high temperature. . y It is invisible and can only be seen during a total solar eclipse. . y The turbulence in the photosphere causes solar flares and eruptions which can be observed in the chromosphere layer. .
)

THE CORONA. .

o The corona is the extremely hot outermost layer above the

chromosphere. .

o Temperatures in the corona can reach over 1000000 c. . o It is the thickesslayer,stretching several million kilometres into
space. .

o The corona forms rings of whitish-blue light. .the corona can

only be seen during total solar eclipse. .

o It is in this region that prominences appear. .

PHENOMENA ON THE SUNS SURFACES. . Prominences,solar flares and sunspots are examples of phenomena that occur on the surface of the sun. . These phenomena are believed to occurs because of the change in the magnetic field of the sun. .

Prominences. .
 Prominence are immense clouds of glowing gases that erupt from
the upper chromosphere. .

 The loops or arches of gases may shoot as high as 100000 km

from the surface of the sun.this allows some of surface gases,mainly hydrogen and helium,to escape into space. .

 Prominences can last for two to three months and can be seen
during solar eclipses. .

 Prominences that escape into outer space cool down and fall back
to the suns surface. .

Solar flares. .

 Solar flares are the result of violent energy explosions in complex

sunspot groups. .

 Solar flares release gases and charged particles far into space. .  The temperature of a solar flare can reach up to 5 million c. .  Solar flares emit electrons,visible light, and radiation such as xrays and ultraviolet rays. .

 Solar flares make the night sky above the earths poles appear as a
result of the high concentration of magnetic fields generated by the sun. .

 Suns pot appear dark because they are much cooler than their
brighter surroundings.the temperature in this regions is about 4000 c. .

 Sunspot usually appear in a group and are differences sizes.

.small sunspot normally last for several hours while a major group of sunspots may last for a few months. .

EFFECTS OF THE SUNS PHENOMENA ON EARTH. .

1. The phenomena that occur on the surface of the sun have various effects on earth. . . A) the eruptions of prominences and solar flares release large amount of solar material into space. . B)gases that escape to space carry a stream of electrical charged particles of energy. . )the continues flow of these particles from the surface of the sun
1 0 2

causes a phenomenon known as solar wind. . . Solar wind is strongest when solar activity is high and when the number of visible sunspots is high. .
3 1

4.

hen the solar wind blows past earth,there are effects on the

following. 5. ommunication systems. .

a)the earths atmosphere plays an important role in reflecting radio signals in communication. . b)solar wind effects radio communication as it causes radio signals to fluctuate. . 6. Navigations systems and compasses. . a)radio signals from transmitters are used by ships and aeroplanes to determine their locations. . b)solar wind disrupts the radio signals of the transmitters,resulting in inaccurancies in the navigations systems. .

c)intense solar flares send out continuos streams of electricity charged particles which interfere with the earths magnetic field and compasses. . 7. Satellites and astronauts. . a)the ultra violet rays and x-rays given off by solar flares heat upthe earths upper atmosphere. .as a result,satellites have to orbit further up to prevent them from falling back to earth. .their lifespans are also shortened. . b)high energy particles released by intense solar flares increase radiation hazards and pose a threat to the health ofastronauts in space.the excessive radiation can also damage satellites. . 8. Power generation. . a)the charged particles interfere with earths magnetic field and induce surgers in the electric current along power transmission lines. . b)this overloads the power grids and causes blackouts over large areas. . 9. lobal climate. . a)sunspots bring about changes in temperature,humidity and atmospheric pressure,which affect the weather conditions on earth. . b)wind,land and sea breezes are affected by sunspots. . c)in 1890,E. . M aundor discovered the connection between sunspots and the climatic distuptions on earth,especially severe droughts.several places on earth will experience severe droughts once every 11 years.this is linked to the appearance of sunspots in 11 year cycles. .
5 4

10. Formation of aurorae a)aurorae are bands of coloured lights visible in the night sky, especially at the polar regions of the earth. . b)aurorae result from a collision between the charged particles of the solar wind and the molecules in the atmosphere of the earth. .this interaction causes them to emit a visible light.. c)fluctuations in the solar wind can cause them to be visible at lower altitudes. .

GENERATION OF ENERGY BY THE SUN. .

 Solar energy is generated deep in the core of the sun through a process
called nuclear fusion. .

 Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction in which several atoms of ne

element combine to form different element. .

 The temperature and pressure at the core are so intense that nuclear
reactions take place all the time. .

 In the nuclear fusion process at the suns core,four hydrogen nuclei

combine to form a helium nucleus and a large amount of energy is produced. .

 The energy generated is carried to the surface of the sun and released
as light and heat. .

DEFINITION OF A STAR. .
A star is a celestial body that release its own heat and light. It is a big ball of hot gases. Stars are made up of dut and gases like hydrogen and helium.they generate energy through nuclear generations. Stars are very far away from the earth.this is why they appear as small specks in the night sky. . The distance between a star and the earth is measured in light years.one light year is the distance light travels in one year. . Stars are not distributed uniformly in the universe but are grouped together in galaxies. .

THE SUN AS A STAR. .

o The sun is the medium sized star. .it is the closest star to earth.
.the sun appears big,bright and hot,when compared to the other stars in the sky. .

o It was formed in a huge cloud of gas and dust called a nebula. . o It is a huge sphere made up mainly of hydrogen and helium. .it
generates heat and light,and release energy through nuclear fusion. .

o The sun is about 4.6 billion years old. .

VARIOUS TYPES OF STARS. .

1.Fromearth,all the stars in the sky look alike.however,each star has its own characteristics. . .Astronomers use some of these characteristics to classify the stars. a) Colour b) Temperature c) Brightness d) Size
6

THE COLOUR AND TEMPERATURE OF STARS. .

 The colour of a star indicates its temperature. .  The hottest stars are blue and the coldest stars are red. .  The sun,which is yellow in colour,is a star of average
temperature. .

class O B A F G K M

whitish blue white yellowish white yellow orange red

98 7

Tabl

2 The colour and temperature of stars

colour blue

surface temperature more than 25000 11000-25000 7500-11000 6000-7500 5000-6000 3500-5000 less than 3500

example spica rigel sirius procyon A the sun Arcturus Betelgeuse

SIZE.

 Stars are of different sizes.they can be classified as

neutrons,dwarfs,giants and supergiants..

 The smallest star is the neutron star which has a diameter

of about 10 kilometres. .

 The sun is a medium sized star.most stars are about the

same size as the sun..a dwarf is a star that is about the same size as the sun. .a white dwarf is a star smaller than the sun. .

 A supergiant star is a star that is more than 100 times the

size of the sun. .

BRI HTNESS. .

 Long ago,brightness of a star was known as the apparent

magnitude. .this was determined with the naked eye. .

 The apparent magnitude was classified according to

numbers. .a star with an apparent magnitude of 1 is the brightness and a star with an apparent magnitude of 6 is the dimmest. .

 The brightness of the star depends on factors such as the

surface temperature,size and distance from earth.classifications using the naked eye are not accurate.

 The brightest star in the sky is Sirius.other examples of

bright stars are alpha centauri,rigel and procyon. .