The Universe: Secrets of the Sun

1. Our sun is a type known as a ___________________________ (referring to surface

color and size) yellow dwarf
2. How many Earths can you fit inside the sun? _____________________ 1 million
3. What was wrong with an original theory of how the sun burned? What modern
theory is accepted? It was assumed the sun worked like any fire (coal) but the fire
would burn out in a few 1000 years. Nuclear fusion of protons at high temperature
releases energy to keep the Sun burning.
4. The core of the sun is the hottest place __________________________________at
___________ F and is 10 times the density of _________________. in the solar system;
27,000,000 (27 million); lead
5. In the sun, 600,000,000 tons of hydrogen are fused into _______________________
tons of helium every second, equal to the energy of _______________ hydrogen
bombs. 595,000,000; 1 billion
6. ______________ bring warming rays to Earth, but have to travel ______________ miles
to get here. photons; 93 million
7. What is a supernova? Why do astronomers think our solar system formed from a
supernova? A massive explosion leaving a huge cloud of dust. Heavy elements like
uranium found in the Earth could not have formed in the sun, but could be the
leftovers of a supernova.
8. The sun hoarded ______ percent of the mass of the solar system? 99%
9. How would our planet differ if we were farther or closer to the sun? If the sun
were closer it would boil away oceans, the ground would be hot enough to melt
lead. If the sun were farther the planet would be a frozen wasteland.
10. Describe the magnetic properties of the sun. Include the terms magnetic field
lines, coronal loops, and solar prominences. Magnetism drives outbursts of energy
from the sun. Millions of tangled magnetic field lines in the plasma rotate at
different rates (faster at the equator) which stores energy in huge magnetic flux
ropes (creating coronal loops and prominences) and then releases energy after
weeks or months.
11. ______________ was one of the first to observe sunspots. What are sunspots?
Galileo; Heat bubbles up to the surface of the sun, then cools, making darker
plasma craters. The sunspots release magnetic energy in solar flares.
12. A single solar flare releases as much as _________________________ megatons of
energy, which is equivalent to _______________________ nuclear bombs exploding. One
billion; one million
13. What are sunquakes? When a solar flare occurs on the surface of the sun it can
slap the surface of the sun, caussing quaking activity

14. A sunquake can measure as much as ________ on Earths richter scale? 11.3
15. What is a C.M.E.? Coronal Mass Ejections are massive eruptions of radioactive
plasma from solar flares
16. What type of technology gets affected by solar events (including CMEs)? Power
grids, satellites, and radio transmissions can be affected. Communication can be
lost by damage to power grid, satellites can be interrupted, and radio signals can be
lost.
17. Energy from solar storms could give harmful radiations equivalent to ___________
chest X-rays. 100
18. Sunspots that trigger severe solar storms can produce beautiful and colorful
________________. The green or red color comes from excited ________________ atoms
and the pink, blue, or violet color comes from excited ________________ atoms.
aurora; oxygen; nitrogen
19. The perfect solar storm of 1859 was one of the fastest, racing to Earth in about
_________ hours. Describe the potential for chaos if such a storm struck Earth today.
18; Today we are so dependent on electricity that panic might occur if electrical
systems fail.
20. What is a solar maximum? How often does a solar maximum occur? Solar
maximum is the end of a solar cycle where sunspot activity is intense. The cycle is
about 11 years between maximums.
21. The corona is _______________ miles from the core. How does the corona burn as
hot as the core? Half a million. Energy from sound waves and from the magnetic
field combine to create high temperatures in the corona.
22. When can you see the corona? During a total solar eclipse.
23. When and why will the sun eventually die? In about 5 billion years the sun will
exhaust its hydrogen fuel, then collapse under the force of gravity, get hot enough
to burn helium, then turn into a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus, and Earth.
It will leave behind a small, Earth-sized core.