Here is a close up view of the only star astronomers can see close up. Its name is Sol. Sol which looks like a beautiful bright yellow and red fireball, is not actually on fire. It is glowing because nuclear reactions in its core, or center are busy turning a gas called hydrogen into another gas called helium. These nuclear reactions create a lot of heat which makes the sun glow. Think of the metal inside a toaster, which glows even though it is not on fire. In addition to hydrogen and helium, the Sun, also contains carbon, nitrogen, and small amounts of other gases.
This king of our Solar System rules because compared to everything else, it is so large. It contains about 98% of all the mass, or rocks, dust, and gas in the Solar System. If the Sun were hollow a million Earths could fit inside.
The middle layer of the Sun churns up and down in a circular motion deeper into the Sun and then back out again. This creates a lot of neat effects. Such as making the Sun into a giant magnet, as well as causing dark cooler areas on the Sun's surface known as sun spots. This churning can also eject giant streams of gas known as solar flares into the Sun's atmosphere. |
|
The surface of the Sun is much cooler than its atmosphere.
The Sun's surface is a warm 6,000 degrees Celsius. This is the same temperature as the Earth's core. However, as you travel away from the Sun's surface, the atmosphere heats up to millions of degrees. Scientists are not sure how the atmosphere can be as hot as it is, with such a cool surface. |
|
