Solar Activity
The Sun!
Sun's layers
Sun and it's layers
The inner layers are the Core, Radiative Zone, and Convection Zone. The outer layers are the Photosphere, the Chromosphere, the Transition Region and the Corona.
Core
The core is the source of all the Sun's energy. The Sun's core has a very high temperature, more than 15 million degrees Kelvin, and the material in the core is very tightly packed or dense.
Radiative Zone
The region surrounding the core of the Sun. Throughout this region of the solar interior, energy, in the form of radiation, is transferred by its interaction with surrounding atoms. The sun is a little cooler than the core.
The "Boiling" Zone
The most efficient means of energy transfer. 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. The hot material follows a direct path through the convective zone and the energy is transferred much faster than it is by radiation.
Photosphere
The visible surface of the Sun that we are most familiar with. A layer about 100 km thick.
Chromosphere
An irregular layer above the photosphere where the temperature rises from 6000 degrees Celsius to about 20,000 degrees Celsius.
Corona
An aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other celestial bodies. The Sun's corona extends millions of kilometers into space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse.
Sunspots
Temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions.
Prominence
A large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface. Prominences are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun's hot outer atmosphere.
Sun Flare
A sudden flash of brightness observed near the Sun's surface. It involves a very broad spectrum of emissions, requiring an energy release. The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona of the sun into space. It affects all layers of the solar atmosphere when the plasma medium is heated to tens of millions of Kelvin.
Aurora
Sometimes referred to as a polar light, is a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude (Artic and Antarctic). Auroras are produced when the magnetosphere Is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma.