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Assignment 4

Chapter 7
Thomas Edison State College

Introductory Astronomy
AST-101-GS002
Semester - October 2013

1.)Describe the sun in terms of its structure and activity. Include in your discussion the
following terms: sunspots, prominences, solar flares, and solar wind.
The suns atmosphere is made up of three layers; the photosphere, chromosphere, and the
corona. The photosphere is a thin layer of gas Earth receives sunlight from. It is also the only
visible part of the sun to the unaided eye. On the photosphere is where sunspots are located. Dark
sunspots mark the visible surface and come and go. The chromosphere is located above the
photosphere; laying just above the visible surface of the sun. The only time this is visible with
the unaided eye is during a total solar eclipse. The solar corona is the outermost part of the suns
atmosphere. The solar corona is so dim it is not visible during the day time due to the glare of the
scattered light from the photosphere.
The sun is in constant activity and even with a small telescope the activity can be seen. Even
though the activity can be seen with a small telescope one must be careful because the sun can be
very harmful to the eye. The weather on the sun is magnetic. Sunspots are cool spots on the suns
surface caused by the strong magnetic fields on the sun. They follow an eleven year cycle. Solar
flares are an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated
with sunspots. Unlike sunspots though they can only last up to an hour. Prominence is composed
of ionized gas trapped in a magnetic arch found in the photosphere and goes into the lower
corona. The prominence may erupt when the structure becomes unstable and bursts. Solar wind
is gas from the solar atmosphere and follows alongside magnetic fields that point outward and
flow away from the sun. Solar wind is not nearly as strong as Earths wind but does sometimes
travel to the Earth.

2. If Earth and the humans who inhabit it can be affected by solar activity, describe how.
Solar activity can affect the Earth and the humans who occupy it. Since the sun is made
up of magnetic weather, which causes powerful outburst and beautiful arches it can affect the
Earths magnetic field along with the atmosphere. By affecting the Earth, humans are affected by
the sun since we are the largest and most advanced species on Earth. When X-ray and
ultraviolent protons reach Earth they can increase ionization in our atmosphere, which then can
interfere with our radio communication systems.
Sun flares can have a dramatic effect on the Earth. Sun flares are similar to a massive
storm on Earth. Particles from flares reach Earth as solar wind, which interfere with our
magnetic fields and interrupt navigation systems of airlines. They also cause damage to our
satellites and cause surges in electrical power lines. Solar flares are so powerful it can be a
billion times more powerful than the hydrogen bomb.
When solar wind is enhanced by eruptions on the sun it interacts with Earths magnetic
field. When solar wind interacts with Earths magnetic fields they create electrical currents up to
a million megawatts. This is extremely dangerous because magnetic reconnections can release
enough energy to blow large amounts of ionized gas in coronal mass ejections it can produce
extremely violent disturbances in earths magnetic field.

REFERENCES
Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 10th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2008).

Rumburg, J. (n.d.). Solar storm and space weather - frequently asked questions.
Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/spaceweather/

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