The SunChapter 6Lesson 1

Ms. AabMrs. Avila

California State Standardsand Objective

• 5 ES 5.a. Students know the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.

Objective: Students in grade five will be able to label and

identify parts of the sun, identify the sun as a star, and explain the atomic process through which the sun

releases energy.

The Sun is a Star

• The sun is a Star made of hydrogen and helium. The sun is located at the center of the solar system and is also the largest object.

Vocabulary

• Star- is an object that produces it own energy, including heat and light.

• Astronomical Unit- the closest stars to the solar system are found in the Alpha Centauri star system.

The size of the Sun

• If the Sun were a hollow ball more then a million Earths could fit inside it!

• The Sun is an average size star and the largest object in the solar system.

• The Sun looks larger than the other stars that can be seen in the night sky because it is much closer to Earth.

What are the Parts of the Sun?

• The Sun is a huge sphere made up of mostly of two gases.– 71% of the Sun’s mass is Hydrogen– 27% of the Sun’s mass is Helium– The remaining 2% is Oxygen and Carbon

Parts of the Sun!

The Core

• Most of the energy that the Sun produces is formed in it’s core.

• The Core’s temperature is 10 million to 20 million degrees Celsius.

• The pressure is more than 1 billion times greater then the air pressure of Earth.

Radiation Layer

• Next to the core

• Moves the energy produced in the core in every direction.

• It can take million of years for energy to move out of this layer.

Convection Layer

• Layer next to the radiation layer

• Gasses with different energies move in circles in a way similar to air with different densities.

• Energy moves out of this layer in about a week.

Photosphere

• Is the visible surface of the Sun.

• It is not a solid surface, but rather a layer of gasses.

• It is cooler then the core with a temperature of 10,346 F

Chromosphere

• Is the inner layer of the Sun’s atmosphere.

• When it can be seen it looks like a red circle around the Sun.

The Corona

• The outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere.

• The corona takes on different shapes around the Sun depending on changes in the temperature of the photosphere.

Solar Flares

• Are burst of heat and energy that stretch out from the corona and chromospheres into space.

• Sometimes the energy disrupts satallites, interfering with TV, radio, and cell phone communication systems.

Aurora Borealis

• Also called the Northern Lights

• Energy from the solar flares also causes displays of different-colored lights in the upper atmosphere.

• Most often seen in Alaska, Canada, and the Northern United States

Sun Spots

• Solar Flares are also sometimes associated with sunspots

• They are dark spots on the Sun.

• They are regions of the photosphere that have a lower temperature then the surrounding regions.

How does the Sun produce energy?

• 100 years ago, Albert Einstein discovered a relationship between energy and mass.

• E = MC2

• The E stands for energy, M stands for mass, the C represents the speed of light.

What happens inside the Sun?

• Hydrogen particles smash together to make helium.

• This smashing is called Fusion.• A little bit of mass is a lost when

hydrogen particles combine to make helium.

• The mass in turned into energy• We see this energy as light and heat!