Astronomy                 Natural Science 1001

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Astronomy
Meteorology
Geology

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Astronomy
Meteorology
Geology

Primary goals

• Describe the basic characteristics of the Sun
• Describe how energy gets from the sun to us
• Describe features related to magnetic activity of the sun, such as sunspots, solar flares, and the aurora

What is the sun like?    [section 14.1  p. 465-468]

• Characteristics      
  --What do we mean when we say that gas is compressible
  --How does the density of the sun vary from the center out?
  --How does the temperature of the sun vary from the center out?
• What is the Sun made of?
  -- Describe a plasma  
• Photosphere
  --What do we mean by the 'surface' of the sun? Describe the photosphere.
  --Why do we see the photosphere? Why don't we see the sun below the photosphere? Why not the sun above the photosphere?
  --What is granulation? How does granulation appear? What causes granulation? 
     --movie of granulation
  --Describe differential rotation      Explanation D2L
• Chromosphere
  --What type of light is emitted by the chromosphere? Why is it different from what is emitted by the photosphere or corona?
• Corona
  --What type of light is emitted by the corona? Why is it different from what is emitted by the photosphere or chromosphere?

Follow the energy from the center of the Sun to us    [p. 468-473]      Explanation D2L

• H fusion in the core        
  -- What is the overall reaction of nuclear fusion?
  -- Where does the energy come from?
  --What is the main form of energy produced by H fusion?
• Radiative transfer and convective transfer  
  --Describe how energy gets from the center towards the surface of the sun by radiation.
  --Explain why the energy of the photons produced in the core of the sun is less than the energy of the photons released at the surface of the sun.
  --Describe how energy moves through the sun by convection
• YouTube

Solar magnetic activity  [section 14.3  p. 476-481]   

• Magnetic Fields
  --Describe magnetic field lines. In general, how do magnetic field lines flow near a planet or star?
  --Magnetic field lines of Jupiter   --1 min
  --Magnetic field lines and the sun--YouTube  2 min
  --research video  3 min  Sun's magnetic field related
• Solar Wind   [p. 231]
  --Good description of the solar wind and recent solar wind activity
  --research video  2 min  Solar wind from New Horizons
  --research video  2 min  How the solar wind relates to corona
• Solar Flares   
  --The Solar Storm that almost caused WWIII     
• Sunspots        
  --How do sunspots form?
  --Why are they cooler than the rest of the sun's surface?
  --research video  3 min  Sunspots
• Solar Prominences   
• Aurora    [p. 279]
  --How does the aurora form?
  --What causes the colors we see in the aurora?
• Solar Activity Cycles