SUN TEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

As astronomers have learned more about the structure of the Sun, they found that it - Answer- is made entirely of hot gas. You are out on the beach, enjoying the warm sunshine with friends. As you glance (briefly we hope) up at the Sun, the part of the Sun that you can see directly is called its - Answer- photosphere. How do astronomers know the composition of the outer layers of the Sun? - Answer- We take an absorption line spectrum of the Sun. these absorption lines tell us what elements are present in the outer layers. The most common element in the Sun is - Answer- hydrogen As you go upward from the Sun's photosphere, - Answer- the density (number of atoms in a unit volume) decreases. The Sun's chromosphere contains many jetlike projections that stick up into the transition region. - Answer- spicules. Which part of the Sun's atmosphere is the hottest? - Answer- corona Which part of the Sun's atmosphere has the lowest density (number of atoms per unit volume)? - Answer- corona Solar wind particles can be captured by the Earth's magnetosphere. When these particles spiral down along the magnetic field into the atmosphere, they are responsible for - Answer- aurorae (northern and southern lights). The granulation pattern that astronomers have observed on the surface of the Sun tells us that - Answer- hot material must be rising from the Sun's hotter interior. Sunspots are darker than the regions of the Sun around them because - Answer- they are cooler than the material around them (although still very hot compared to Earth's tem