Our Star, the Sun & Sun-Earth Connection Quiz Review

The sun produces energy in its core by combining H atoms into He atoms in a process known as ___.

• Nuclear fission

• gravitational compression

• kinetic compression

• Nuclear fusion

Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

The center of the sun, the ___, produces the energy that eventually reaches us and warms the Earth.

• core

• radiative zone

• corona

• convective zone

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

Photons of light travel from where they are produced in the core to the convective zone, where they follow a zig-zag path that takes them close to a million years to reach the next layer - the photosphere. This process is called the _____.

• CME

• crooked path

• random walk

• 100 yard dash

Answer explanation

The outer atmosphere of the sun, only visible during a total solar eclipse, is called the ___.

• penumbra

• umbra

• corona

• corolla

Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Solar flares, prominences, coronal holes, and coronal mass ejections are all due to disturbances in _____ on the sun.

• the convective zone

• the radiative zone

• the core

• magnetic fields

Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-5

The ___ was a huge solar storm in 1859 caused by 2 CMEs hitting Earth. Telegraph stations were damaged, and northern lights were seen much farther south than normal. If it happened again today, communication, electrical power, and navigation all would be disrupted - potentially for years.

• Bastille Day Storm

• Carrington Event

• Solar Mega Storm

Answer explanation

Our sun is a small G2 ___ star.

• red giant

• white dwarf

• yellow dwarf

• red dwarf

These appear darker than the rest of the sun's surface (photosphere) because the strong magnetic fields associated with them decrease convection from below the surface, cooling this area.

• filaments

• prominences

• sun spots

• flares

Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-5

Our school has one of these devices that measure the changing strength of the local magnetic field twice per second. This was given to the school through NASA's THEMIS mission.

• seismograph

• magnetometer

• solar telescope

• coronagraph

Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Does the sun have enough mass to ever become a supernova?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation