In general, convection is another mechanism by which heat can be transferred. In the same manner, the Sun uses this method to transfer the energy it produces from the core towards the outermost region. This process takes place in the region of the Sun called the convection zone. From the core, the energy is transferred […]
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Solar winds stream off from the Sun in all directions on average speeds of about 400 km/s which is the equivalent of approximately 1 million miles per hour. The source of these is the Sun’s very hot corona. There are two major reasons why these solar winds can escape the Sun’s gravity. First are the
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Tremendous amounts of heat and light energy are released by the Sun. The energy of the Sun or solar energy has immense effects on Earth’s life. Solar energy is changed to chemical energy during photosynthesis in green plants. The Sun emits light energy which is important in the food making process. Plants trap energy from
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Prominence refers to the sun sending out tongues of fire that reaches a great distance. It is usually called solar prominence. It is defined as a large and bright extension from the sun. It extends from the sun’s surface, usually in the shape of a loop. It is found that a prominence is usually starting
The Sun, Moon, stars and other celestial objects are beyond the reach of any instrument that can be used by observers here on Earth. Measuring the distance of a celestial object from the Earth might seem to be complicated. But measuring the distance of these remote entities have been simplified by the concept of parallax.
The word interplanetary is associated with various space terms. It may mean a medium, an established theory, or even space, much like the term intergalactic. This term also means, between or across planets and is considered the lowered version of the word intergalactic.
Ever wonder why this colorless, odorless, tasteless non-toxic gas is named strong>Helium? The name Helium comes from a Greek word Helios meaning sun. It was in the Sun that this element was first discovered. In 1868 a French Scientist, Jules Janssen was observing a total solar eclipse. He noticed a bright yellow spectrum and thought
The Sun’s astrosphere is composed of several layers that include the heliosphere, heliosheath, heliopause and the termination shock. Heliosphere can be thought of as a bubble in space surrounding the sun. It shields and helps protect the earth from harmful intergalactic radiation. These radiations can destroy DNA and can make climate not suitable for existence.
Solar flares are large explosions produced by the Sun emitting x-rays and UV radiation and disrupting long-range radio communications in the process. The correlation of solar flare to the appearance of more sunspots is not clear but scientists have observed that there are more flares when the Sun has more sunspots. A first quarter flare
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The Sun follows a periodic cycle of activity. This cycle, called the Solar Cycle or Solar Magnetic Activity Cycle, is the periodic recurrence of sunspots, or darker, relatively cool regions at the Sun’s surface. This was discovered by Samuel Heinrich Scwabe in 1843 when he observed the variation of the number of sunspots over a
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