CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE SUN:
The sun is composed primarily of hydrogen, 74.9% and helium, 23.8%. All heavier elements called metals in astronomy account for less than 2% of the mass. The most abundant metals are oxygen, which is roughly 1% of the sun's mass, carbon, 0.3%, neon 0.2% and iron, 0.2%
Emissions from the sun:
The sun is a magnetically active star. It supports astrong, changing magnetic field that varies years to years and reverses direction about every eleven years around solar maximum. The sun's magnetic field leads to many effects thta are collectively called solar activity, including sunspots on the surface of the sun, solar flares, and variations in solar wind that carry material through the solar system.
The Sun continually emits a stream of charged particles consisting mostly of electrons and protons. This is called the solar wind (see fig. 1.0 below). Most of these particles are blocked by the Earth's upper atmosphere (or magnetosphere, seen in fig. 1.0 as blue lines) or attracted to the magnetic poles. Effects of solar activity on earth include auroras at moderate to high latitudes, and the disruption of radio communications and electric power. The solar wind is the reason that the tails of comets always face away from the Sun.
As seen in the diagram below, one can see the solar wind from the sun coming into the earth's magnetic field.
Fig. 1.0:The Solar Wind
On the otherhand, solar flares on the Sun's surface shoot out streams of high energy particles. They can cause such problems as power line surges and radio interference. They also result in the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights), where the charged particles cause the atoms in the atmosphere to give off a glow.
All matter in the sun is in the form of gas and plasma because of its high temperatures. This makes it possible for the sun to rotate faster at its equator (about 25 days) than it does at higher latitudes (about 35 days near the pole).
The sun is composed primarily of hydrogen, 74.9% and helium, 23.8%. All heavier elements called metals in astronomy account for less than 2% of the mass. The most abundant metals are oxygen, which is roughly 1% of the sun's mass, carbon, 0.3%, neon 0.2% and iron, 0.2%
Emissions from the sun:
The sun is a magnetically active star. It supports astrong, changing magnetic field that varies years to years and reverses direction about every eleven years around solar maximum. The sun's magnetic field leads to many effects thta are collectively called solar activity, including sunspots on the surface of the sun, solar flares, and variations in solar wind that carry material through the solar system.
The Sun continually emits a stream of charged particles consisting mostly of electrons and protons. This is called the solar wind (see fig. 1.0 below). Most of these particles are blocked by the Earth's upper atmosphere (or magnetosphere, seen in fig. 1.0 as blue lines) or attracted to the magnetic poles. Effects of solar activity on earth include auroras at moderate to high latitudes, and the disruption of radio communications and electric power. The solar wind is the reason that the tails of comets always face away from the Sun.
As seen in the diagram below, one can see the solar wind from the sun coming into the earth's magnetic field.
Fig. 1.0:The Solar Wind
On the otherhand, solar flares on the Sun's surface shoot out streams of high energy particles. They can cause such problems as power line surges and radio interference. They also result in the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights), where the charged particles cause the atoms in the atmosphere to give off a glow.
All matter in the sun is in the form of gas and plasma because of its high temperatures. This makes it possible for the sun to rotate faster at its equator (about 25 days) than it does at higher latitudes (about 35 days near the pole).
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