Transcript Fusion in the Sun

The Sun and Stars
Webquest
During NUCLEAR FUSION the sun converts matter (elements) into
energy (radiation) in the CORE of the star.
The sun fuses 4 HYDROGEN
nucleus/atoms into 1 HELIUM
nucleus/atom.
A result of this is the creation of
massive amounts of RADIATION
ENERGY.
Convection
currents move
energy from the
core to the
surface.
Sunspots are darker/cooler areas on the surface of the sun.
They are caused by strong magnetic fields that slow down convection so less
energy is released.
The sunspot cycle begins when
we start to see a slow increase in
the number of spots.
Eventually the number of spots will grow
into the hundreds.
This cycle lasts around 11 years.
As astronomers observed sunspots they realized they were moving. This
helped us to understand that the sun was rotating.
Solar flares are violent
explosive releases of energy
from the surface of the sun.
The flares seem to happen
when there are a lot of
sunspots present.
Solar flares send electrically
charged particles into space
called solar wind.
Solar wind can cause magnetic
storms that damage satellites.
Auroras are caused by
the mixing of solar wind
with the earths
magnetosphere.
Auroras are usually seen
soon after a large solar
flare.
The main factor that shapes the life and eventual death of a star
is its mass/size.
The star that will live the longest will be a small or extra small
mass star because it burns cooler and slower.
A star with the same size as our sun will stay in the main
sequence stage for 10 billion years.
small mass star:
Main sequence
large mass star:
During the MAIN SEQUENCE stage hydrogen is fused and creates a helium core. The main fuel
for the sun is hydrogen gas.
During the Red Giant stage helium is fused and creates a carbon core. The main fuel for a Red
Giant is helium gas.
When fusion is done in a red giant the core of the White Dwarf will be mostly made of
carbon.
A supernova is the explosion of a dying high mass star.
A black hole is an object so dense that even light can’t escape it.
Lifecycle of a Star:
1. Nebula cloud- gas and dust particles held together by
gravity.
2. Gravity crushes the center of the cloud until fusion begins
and the cloud ignites.
3. Main Sequence- hydrogen atoms fuse into helium atoms
in the core of the star
4. Red Giant- hydrogen atoms are almost gone, the outer
shell of gases expands and grows larger.
5. Nebula/Supernova- small mass stars lose their outer shell
and return to a nebula, large mass stars explode into a
supernova.
6. White Dwarf/Black Hole- the core of small mass stars
slowly burns out, the core of large mass stars caves in on
Astronomers use spectrographs and spectral lines to
identify the elements that are present in a star.
They analyze the spectral lines from the light of a star.
Each element has its own spectral lines. Kind of like a
finger print.