SUN

J.T. II Olivar, MAEd

Faculty of Arts and Letters
University of Santo Tomas
 Outline of the Lecture
 Properties of the [our] Sun
 Sun and the concept of Temperature
 Energy transport mechanisms of the
Sun
 Parts of the Sun
 Properties of the Sun
 Spectral Type of Star – G2 V
 Age – 4,600 million years
 Mean Distance to Earth – 150 Million
Kilometers (1 AU)
 Rotation Period (equator) – 26.8 days
 Radius – 695,000 Kilometers
 Composition – 71% Hydrogen [H], 26.5%
Helium [He], 2.5% Other
 Mass – 1.99 x 1030 Kilograms
 Effective Surface Temperature – 6,000 oC
 Core Temperature – 15 million oC
 Luminosity [Energy Output] – 3.83 x 1033
ergs / second
 Solar Constant – 0.137 Watts / cm2
 Inclination of Solar Equator to Ecliptic –
7.25o
 Absolute Zero
 Lowest temperature theoretically
possible, characterized by complete
absence of heat. Absolute zero is
-273.15°C (-459.67°F), or zero
degrees on the Kelvin scale (0 K).
Energy Transport Mechanisms
of the Sun
1. Radiation – Energy is carried by
photons of all wavelengths.
2. Convection – Energy is transported
by the bulk motion of materials.
3. Conduction – No bulk transport of
matter or radiation takes place.
 Corona
 2,000,000 K
 Outermost part of the solar
atmosphere
 Faint white halo around the sun
 Coronal holes
– emanation of solar winds
 Coronagraph
– invented by Bernard Lyot
 Chromosphere
 Chromos (color)
 15,000 K
 Not seen as spherical shell
 Spicules
– visualized as cylinders about 700 kms
across and 7000 kms tall
 Photosphere
 Photos (light)
 Limb darkening
 Granulation
 Granule
– 1,000 kilometers across
 Convective zone
– 5 minute oscillation
 Sunspots
 3,800 K
 Appear dark when seen in white light
 Cooler areas of the solar surface
 Magnetic Lines of Force (Magnetic
Field Lines)
 1610 – Galilee, Scheiner, and Harriot
 1850 – Sunspot cycle (11 years)
 1908 – Hale
 1645-1715– No Sunspots
 Maunder minimum
– Walter Maunder
 Solar Plages
– Bright areas that surround the
sunspot
 Solar Flares
 5,000,000 K
 20 minutes
 Solar storms
 Aurora borealis
 Aurora australis
 Solar Prominences
 Filaments on the limb of the sun
 3,000 – 7,000 K
 10 – 100,000 kilometers high
Solar Flare and Solar
Prominence
 Solar Winds
 10 days to reach the earth
Solar wind
 Solar Constant
 The amount of solar energy that
passes through each square
centimeter of space at the average
distance of the earth from the sun
every second.