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The Sun
U3 L3-Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Nuclear Fusion | a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy |
Sunspot | a spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun's surface, appearing dark by contrast with its surroundings |
Solar Flares | a brief eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface, associated with sunspots and causing electromagnetic disturbances on the earth, as with radio frequency communications and power line transmissions |
Prominence | a stream of incandescent gas projecting above the sun's chromosphere |
Corona | the rarefied gaseous envelope of the sun and other stars. The sun's corona is normally visible only during a total solar eclipse when it is seen as an irregularly shaped pearly glow surrounding the darkened disk of the moon |
Chromosphere | a reddish gaseous layer immediately above the photosphere of the sun or another star. Together with the corona, it constitutes the star's outer atmosphere |
Photosphere | the luminous envelope of a star from which its light and heat radiate |
Convection Zone | The convection zone of a star is the range of radii in which energy is transported primarily by convection. |
Radiative Zone | The radiation zone or radiative zone is a layer of a star's interior where energy is primarily transported toward the exterior by means of radiative diffusion, rather than by convection. |
Core | the dense central region of a planet, especially the nickel–iron inner part of the earth |
Radiation | the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization |
Convection | the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat |