Sun solar

Sun solar system

The Sun solar is the most significant energy source for many planets, which is a star  in the middle of the Solar system. This star(sun) acts as a source of life on Earth.

Features of Sun

           The Sun is spherical in shape containing the hot plasma, with the convective motion which produces a magnetic field through the dynamo process. It has a diameter of 1.39 million kilometers, which is 109 times than that of Earth’s diameter. Then the mass of the Sun is 3,30,000 times of the Earth.

Formation of Sun

                      Over 4.6 billion years ago, the disintegration of the part of the molecular cloud containing the Hydrogen and the Helium, had  led to the formation of a number of stars. So the gravitational disintegration of the matter inside the zone of the large molecular cloud, led to the sun’s formation. Then the density and the heat in its central mass had led to the nuclear fusion. The Sun is known as the yellow dwarf, since its light is nearer to white that the yellow.              

Structure of Sun

The Sun comprises the below layers in its whole structure.

1) Core

The Core is the innermost part of the Sun, which constitutes 20-25% of the radius of the Sun. Here the fusion of Hydrogen releases energy, while the Helium heaps form the inner core.

2) Radiative zone

            This zone that occurs  between the 20 to 70% of the radius of the Sun. In this part, the transfer of energy takes place through the radiation than by the convection.

3) Tachocline

The layer which lies between the convective and the radiative regions, is the Tachocline. 

4) Convective layer

The Convective layer lies between the point nearer to the visible layer and the 70% of the Sun’s radius. In this layer, the sun is cool for the diffusion, thus the convection takes place.           

5)  Photosphere

This Photosphere is the in-depth region of the Sun, in which the visible light is seen.  The Sun’s visible part divides into the atmosphere and the photosphere.

6) Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the gaseous mixture which surrounds the sun, contains the solar transition, chromosphere, heliosphere and the corona.

Atmosphere in Sun  

                  The Moon covers the total structure of the Sun, during the total solar eclipse. At this time, the atmosphere which surrounds the Sun will be visible. Then the four significant parts are the transition regions, the chromosphere, the heliosphere and the corona. After that the coolest layer over the photosphere, has a minimum temperature which goes up to 500Km. This coolest layer permits the molecules like the water and the carbon monoxide that can be seen through the absorption spectrum.                  

Chemical Elements of the Sun

                  The chemical elements like the Hydrogen(73%), Helium(25%),  carbon(0.29%), oxygen(0.77%), iron(0.16%), nitrogen(0.09%), neon(0.12%),magnesium(0.05%), sulphur(0.04%) and magnesium(0.05%) comprises the total mass of the Sun.

Magnetic field

                             The magnetic field of the Sun always varies throughout the surface of the Sun. Then the polar field is 0.0001 to 0.0002T, while the field is 0.3T in the Sun’s features known as the Sunspots. Then the field is 0.001 to 0.01T on the solar prominences.

These sunspots are seen as the dark lines on the photosphere of the Sun and had led to the magnetic field concentrations. This magnetic field is seen at the point where the convective transfer of heat is seen from the inner solar surface to the outer surface. So the sunspots are little cooler than the photosphere, so they are seen dark.

Stability of the Sun

           Today, the Sun is seen that is has not changed after four billion years of its formation. Then the Sun may remain stable even after five billion years from today.   But once the fusion of the Hydrogen inside the core stops, then the Sun will experience the dramatic changes.

Spacecrafts for Sun

            The launch of the first spacecraft to sun observe was the Pioneer 6 in 1959. Later, the Pioneers 7,8 and 9 were the Satellites designed by the NASA to orbit the Sun. In 1970, the scientists got the relevant data on the solar winds through the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount and the two Helios spacecraft.

Position in the solar system: In the middle of the solar system.

Features: Shape – spherical; Formation- 4.6 billion years ago.

                  Diameter – 1.39 million Km , Sun’s mass = 3,30,000 times Earth’s mass.