Term
What is the closest star to Earth after the Sun and how many light years away is it? |
|
Definition
Alpha Centauri
4.3 light years away |
|
|
Term
| List the overall structures of the sun starting from the center |
|
Definition
Core
Radiation Zone
Convection Zone
Photosphere
Cromosphere
Transition Zone
Corona
Solar Wind |
|
|
Term
| Which one of the structures of the sun is the visible "surface" of the sun? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the sun powered by? |
|
Definition
Nuclear Fusion
(a process by which two or more nuclei combine and realease energy) |
|
|
Term
| What is the radius of the sun and how many times larger is it than that of the Earth? |
|
Definition
| THe radius of the sun is about 700,00 km and is 100 time greater than the Earth. |
|
|
Term
| How long does the sun take to rotate as measured at its equator? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
What is it called when we measure how much solar energy is received per square meter of every second on the earth?
What is that quantity? |
|
Definition
Solar Constant
1400 watts per square meter
(W/m2) |
|
|
Term
What is it called when we calculate the total amount of energy radiated in all directions from the sun?
What is the sun's _____? |
|
Definition
Its luminocity
3.86 X 10 (26th) W |
|
|
Term
| What is it called when the sun's pressures outward push exactly counteracts gravity's inward pull? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is it called where researchers have constructed a mathematical model of the sun? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the sun's surface temperature |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the sudy of solar surface patterns called? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the region of the sun's surface where virtually all light is emitted? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What region of the sun is where nuclear reactions generate energy? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What are the two distinct ways that energy is transported from the sun's core to the photosphere? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the name of the observatory that was launched in 1995 by the European Space Agency? |
|
Definition
SOHO
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory |
|
|
Term
What is the name of the point where SOHO is stationed and why is it stationed there?
How far is this point? |
|
Definition
L1 or Lagrangian point
It is at this point where the gravitational pull of the earth and sun are the same
1.5 million km |
|
|
Term
The visible surface of the sun is mottled with regions of bright and dark gas known as _______?
About how far aross are each of them? |
|
Definition
Granules
(THe direct granulation of the solar surface is a direct reflection of motion in the convection zone)
THey are about 1000 km across |
|
|
Term
| What is the flow pattern quite similar to granulation, material upwells at the center of the cells, flows across the surface, thew sinks down again at the edges |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| The __________ of a sunspot simply indicates which way its magnetic is directed. |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
What is an umbra?
What is it surrounded by?
|
|
Definition
The dark center of a sunspot.
The outer grayish part called a penumbra. |
|
|
Term
| All the sunspot pairs in the same solar hemisphere have the same magnetic configuration. T or F |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
What causes constant stretching, twisting and folding of magnetic field lines?
|
|
Definition
| The sun's differential rotation and convection |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| THe period needed for both the average number of spots and the suns overall magnetic polarity to repeat themselves. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| When the photosphere erupts violently spewing forth into the corona large quantities of electrical particles. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Loops or sheets of glowing gas ejected from an active region on the solar surface |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Another type of solar activity observed near active regions. |
|
|
Term
| What does an active prominence measure to? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
What is a coronal mass ejection?
|
|
Definition
| A giant magnetic bubble of ionized gas which separates from the rest of the solar atmosphere and escapes into interplanetary space |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Vast regions of the sun's atmosphere where the density is about 10 times lower than the already tenuous normal corona |
|
|
Term
Why are coronal holes lacking in matter?
|
|
Definition
| Because the gas there is able to stream freely into space at high speeds driven by disturbances in the sun's atmosphere and its magnetic field |
|
|
Term
| What is the process of nuclear fusion? |
|
Definition
| The combining of light nuclei into heavier ones |
|
|
Term
| What is the law of conservation of mass and energy? |
|
Definition
| States that the sum of the mass and energy must always remain constant in any physical process |
|
|
Term
| What is most common and lightest element in the universe? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the next lightest element after Hydrogen that powers the sun? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A form of hydrogen with an extra neutron in its nucleus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Atomic particle with properties identical to those of a negatively charged electron, except for its positive charge. The positron is the antiparticle of the electron. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A chargeless and virtually massless particle that is one of the producers of fusion reactions in the sun. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Short range force responsible for binding atomic neuclei together. It is the strongest of the four forces of nature. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Short range force weaker than both electromagnitism and the strong force but much stronger than gravity.
Responsible for certain neuclear reactions in radioactive decays. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The chain of fusion reactions leading from hydrogen to helium that powers main sequence stars. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Discrepancy between the theoritacally predicted flux of neutrinos streaming from the sun as a result of fusion reactions in the core and the flux that is actually observed |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
