Energy from the Sun

Energy from the Sun

Essential Question:

What types of energy does the sun
produce and how does the energy

reach Earth?

Layers of the Sun

● Interior

● cannot be seen

● where energy is produced

● Photosphere

● Photo =“light” Sphere = “ball”

● visible “surface” of the sun

● Atmospheric layers

● Chromosphere – thin layer of hot gases

● Corona – “crown” outermost portion, produces

the solar wind

● Earth’s magnetic field blocks the winds from

reaching our surface

Production of Energy

● Combustion – burning fossil fuels

● Renewable Sources – capture energy

from the sun, wind, water to produce
electricity

● Nuclear Reactions – when atomic particles

interact to form different particles

● Fusion

● Fission

Fusion

● Done in the interior

of the sun

● Less massive nuclei

combine to form
more massive nuclei

● Releases lots and

lots of energy

Fission

● Able to do on earth (Nuclear Energy)

● More massive nuclei are bombarded by

neutrons and split to less massive nuclei

● Emits heat energy

Forms of Energy Produced

● Light

● acts like a wave and particle

● photons are a stream of particles

that push on matter

● This push is what causes a

comet’s tail

● Heat

● The sun is extremely hot (15

million K at core)

● Waves of heat are ejected into

space at all angles

Energy Flow

● Energy is transferred by Electromagnetic

Radiation

● This includes all energy types that travel

as waves from X-rays to visible light to
microwaves and radio waves

Solar Energy

● Advantages:

● Free

● No pollution

● Disadvantages:

● Expensive equipment

● Cloudy days

Passive Collectors: sun heats
objects, which radiate the heat
Active Collectors: Collect
sunlight, transfer heat by
circulating air or liquids
Solar Cells: convert sunlight
directly into electricity

Life cycle of stars.

The lifespan of stars varies from thousands of years for

massive stars to billions for smaller stars. Our Sun, which is

of average mass, is predicted to live for about 10 billion

years (it is about halfway through).

Eclipses!

*Eclipse named after what is
being blocked!

●A lunar eclipse occurs when
the Earth passes between the
Moon and the Sun, and the
Earth's shadow obscures the
moon or a portion of it.

●A solar eclipse occurs when
the Moon passes between the
Earth and the Sun, blocking
all or a portion of the Sun.

Temp and Color of Sun

● Color depending of location as we revolve

around sun

● Early morning & evening – Sun is golden

color – cooler

● Depending on location sun may appear red

(coolest), orange, yellow or white (hottest)

Hertzsprung - Russell Diagram