Sun Activity

Sun Activity

Think about the different activities that occur on the sun.

Features of the Sun

• Sunspots

• Prominences

• Solar flares

• Solar wind

Sunspots

• Areas of gas on the Sun's surface that are cooler than the gases around them

• Cooler gases don't give off as much light

• Can be larger than the Earth

• The # of sunspots varies in a regular cycle, with the most appearing about once every 11 years

• Affects on Earth: Auroras, disruptions in power, radio, and satellites

Prominences

• Huge loops of gas that often link different parts of sunspot regions

• These loops of gas are anchored to the photosphere and extend to the corona

• Can last for months

• Can disrupt navigation systems, surges/blackouts in electrical systems, damage/disrupt satellites

Solar Flare

• A release of magnetic energy that heats gas in the Sun's atmosphere and causes an eruption into space

• Typically lasts for a few minutes

• Can cause the loss of power and satellite

Solar Winds

• Streams of electrical particles from the Sun

• Solar flares can increase the amount of particles

• Earth's magnetic field blocks the majority of solar winds except on the North and South Poles

• At the poles, the particles create electric currents that cause gas in the atmosphere to glow (Northern Lights/Southern Lights)

• Worst case scenarios: too many particles entering the atmosphere can cause magnetic storms and blackouts

Multiple Choice

Large eruptions of heated gas from the Sun's surface are called

• Prominences

• Solar winds

• Sunspots

• Solar flares

Multiple Choice

The corona sends out a stream electrical particles called the

• Solar flares

• Solar winds

• Sunspots

• Prominences