Solar atmospheres
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The document discusses different aspects of the Sun's atmosphere. The chromosphere emits pinkish-blue light and can be seen during solar eclipses. Above the chromosphere is the transition zone and corona, which are visible only during eclipses and have much higher temperatures than the photosphere. The solar wind consists of particles that escape the Sun's atmosphere at around 500 km/hr. Solar magnetism involves strong magnetic fields around sunspots that reverse polarity between the northern and southern hemispheres and cause phenomena like prominences. The solar cycle occurs every 11 years as sunspot activity waxes and wanes.
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Solar atmospheres
- 2. Topics Chromosphere Corona Solar Wind Solar Magnetism Transition Zone and the Corona
- 3. Chromosphere ->emits very little light of its own. Can not be seen directly it is pinkish blue due to H alpha emission lines. Can be seen at eclipses -> spicules- solar storms emitted leave atmosphere around 100km/h and hit high above the photosphere. Near the edges of super granules Why? Magnetic field constructive interference
- 4. Corona and transition zone Corona- also seen only on eclipses when the moons angular size blocks the photosphere spectra changes from absorption to emission upper chromospheres temps are way hotter than photosphere corona is still hotter transition zone yields high temps, why is not clear.
- 5. Solar Wind escaping solar particles (protons and electrons) @500km/ hr what’s happening? *query, sun is constantly evaporating and losing mass- the high temps replenish the sun from below about 1million tons shed per second, less than .1 % since formation of the sun
- 6. Solar Magnetism sun spots have a magnetic profile 1000X greater than surrounding area flows from s- n pole of spot, Polarity reversed on southern hemisphere occur in pairs with opposite polarities. Light emitted by charged particles Solar magnetic field warped by equator (differentially rotates) and eventually wraps it and the result is a prominence
- 7. Solar Cycle temporary and unstable and there is an 11 year cycle of activity Sun spots start closer to poles and then work way towards equator Polarities reverse once they cross the equator Not constant can vary from 7-15 years
- 8. Corona and the Solar Cycle corona heated by solar surface activity this injects large amounts of energy into the atmosphere fueled by small scale magnetic loops linked in time to the solar cycle