The Sun

Chapter 6
Lesson 1

Ms. Aab
Mrs. Avila
 California State Standards
and Objective
• 5 ES 5.a. Students know the Sun, an average star, is
the central and largest body in the solar system and is
composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.

Objective: Students in grade five will be able to label and

identify parts of the sun, identify the sun as a star, and
explain the atomic process through which the sun
releases energy.
 The Sun is a Star

• The sun is a Star made of hydrogen and

helium. The sun is located at the center
of the solar system and is also the
largest object.
 Vocabulary

• Star- is an object that produces it own

energy, including heat and light.

• Astronomical Unit- the closest stars to

the solar system are found in the Alpha
Centauri star system.
 The size of the Sun

• If the Sun were a hollow ball more then a

million Earths could fit inside it!
• The Sun is an average size star and the
largest object in the solar system.
• The Sun looks larger than the other stars
that can be seen in the night sky
because it is much closer to Earth.
What are the Parts of the Sun?

• The Sun is a huge sphere made up of

mostly of two gases.
– 71% of the Sun’s mass is Hydrogen
– 27% of the Sun’s mass is Helium
– The remaining 2% is Oxygen and Carbon
Parts of the Sun!
 The Core

• Most of the energy that the Sun produces

is formed in it’s core.
• The Core’s temperature is 10 million to
20 million degrees Celsius.
• The pressure is more than 1 billion times
greater then the air pressure of Earth.
 Radiation Layer

• Next to the core

• Moves the energy produced in the core
in every direction.
• It can take million of years for energy to
move out of this layer.
 Convection Layer

• Layer next to the radiation layer

• Gasses with different energies move in
circles in a way similar to air with
different densities.
• Energy moves out of this layer in about a
week.
 Photosphere

• Is the visible surface of the Sun.

• It is not a solid surface, but rather a layer
of gasses.
• It is cooler then the core with a
temperature of 10,346 F
 Chromosphere

• Is the inner layer of the Sun’s

atmosphere.
• When it can be seen it looks like a red
circle around the Sun.
 The Corona

• The outermost layer of the Sun’s

atmosphere.
• The corona takes on different shapes
around the Sun depending on changes in
the temperature of the photosphere.
 Solar Flares

• Are burst of heat and energy that stretch

out from the corona and chromospheres
into space.
• Sometimes the energy disrupts satallites,
interfering with TV, radio, and cell phone
communication systems.
 Aurora Borealis

• Also called the Northern Lights

• Energy from the solar flares also causes
displays of different-colored lights in the
upper atmosphere.
• Most often seen in Alaska, Canada, and
the Northern United States
 Sun Spots

• Solar Flares are also sometimes

associated with sunspots
• They are dark spots on the Sun.
• They are regions of the photosphere that
have a lower temperature then the
surrounding regions.
 How does the Sun produce energy?

• 100 years ago, Albert Einstein

discovered a relationship between
energy and mass.
• E = MC2
• The E stands for energy, M stands for
mass, the C represents the speed of
light.
What happens inside the Sun?

• Hydrogen particles smash together to

make helium.
• This smashing is called Fusion.
• A little bit of mass is a lost when
hydrogen particles combine to make
helium.
• The mass in turned into energy
• We see this energy as light and heat!