The Sun & Its Layers & Features
Without This We're In Bad Shape
The Layers Of The Sun
The sun consists of multiple layers that perform in different ways at different temperatures. The layers are the corona, photosphere, chromosphere, convection zone, radiative zone, core, and the transition region.
Layer 1: The Core
The Sun's core is the central region where nuclear reactions consume hydrogen to form helium. These reactions release the energy that ultimately leaves the surface as visible light. These reactions are highly sensitive to temperature and density. The individual hydrogen nuclei must collide with enough energy to give a reasonable probability of overcoming the repulsive electrical force between these two positively charged particles.
Layer 2: Chromosphere
The chromosphere is a layer in the Sun between about 250 miles (400 km) and 1300 miles (2100 km) above the solar surface (the photosphere). So in this layer (and higher layers) it actually gets hotter if you go further away from the Sun, unlike in the lower layers, where it gets hotter if you go closer to the center of the Sun.
Layer 3: Photosphere
The photosphere is the deepest layer of the Sun that we can observe directly. It reaches from the surface visible at the center of the solar disk to about 250 miles (400 km) above that. The temperature in the photosphere varies between about 6500 K at the bottom and 4000 K at the top (11,000 and 6700 degrees F, 6200 and 3700 degrees C). Most of the photosphere is covered by granulation.
Layer #4: Transition Region
The transition region is a very narrow (60 miles / 100 km) layer between the chromosphere and the corona where the temperature rises abruptly from about 8000 to about 500,000 K (14,000 to 900,000 degrees F, 7700 to 500,000 degrees C).
Layer 5: Corona
The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun, starting at about 1300 miles (2100 km) above the solar surface (the photosphere). The temperature in the corona is 500,000 K (900,000 degrees F, 500,000 degrees C) or more, up to a few million K. The corona cannot be seen with the naked eye except during a total solar eclipse, or with the use of a coronagraph. The corona does not have an upper limit.
Layer 6: Radiative Zone
Consequently, the region surrounding the core of the Sun is known as the radiation zone. Throughout this region of the solar interior, energy, in the form of radiation, is transferred by its interaction with the surrounding atoms. In the radiation zone of the Sun the temperature is a little cooler than the core and as a result some atoms are able to remain intact.
Layer 7: Convection Zone
The most efficient means of energy transfer is now convection and we find ourselves in the region of the Sun's interior know as the convection zone. The hotter material near the top of the radiation zone (the bottom of the convection zone) rises up and the cooler material sinks to the bottom. As the hot material reaches the top of the convection zone it begins to cool and sink, and as it sinks it heats up again and will rise. This produces a rolling motion much like that in a pot of boiling water.
Sunspots
Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They correspond to concentrations of magnetic field flux that inhibit convection and result in reduced surface temperature compared to the surrounding photosphere.
Prominence
The sun's prominence is a large, bright, gaseous feature extending outward from the Sun's surface, often in a loop shape. Prominence are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun's corona.
Solar Flares
A solar flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released. On the Sun's surface are huge magnetic loops
called prominences. When they touch, they short circuit each other, setting off explosions. The amount of energy released is the equivalent of millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding at the same time! A solar flare contains high energy photons and particles, and is released from the Sun in a relatively short amount of time (a few minutes).
Auroras.
Auroras are a natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky, usually near the northern or southern magnetic pole. They are considered weather phenoms and are rarely seen by the human eye.
Is the sun important? why or why not?
Nothing is more important to us on Earth than the Sun. Without the Sun's heat and light, the Earth would be a lifeless ball of ice-coated rock. The Sun warms our seas, stirs our atmosphere, generates our weather patterns, and gives energy to the growing green plants that provide the food and oxygen for life on Earth.
Fun fact.
Ever wondered why the sun appeared different colors? Well when we see the Sun at sunrise or sunset, when it is low in the sky, it may appear yellow, orange, or red. But that is only because its short-wavelength colors (green, blue, violet) are scattered out by the Earth's atmosphere, much like small waves are dispersed by big rocks along the shore.