SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
OBJECTIVES
• You will gain a deeper understanding
of Solar processes that occur above
the surface of the Sun
• You will write and discuss vocabulary
based on Solar processes that occur
above the surface of the Sun
LAYERS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
• Divided into 5 layers
•
•
•
•
•
Temperature Minimum
Chromosphere
Transition Region
Corona
Heliosphere
TEMPERATURE MINIMUM
• Starts at the surface of the Sun and
extends to about 500 km
• Average temperature 4100K
• Simple molecules like Carbon Monoxide
and Water exist in this layer
CHROMOSPHERE
• Starts at 500 km and goes to 2000km
• Just above the Photosphere of the
Sun
• This layer is to thin to be seen in
normal circumstances
CHROMOSPHERE
• Note the reddish
pink color
• Only visible
during total
eclipses or with
special
equipment
CHROMOSPHERE
• Taken during
the eclipse
of 1999
TRANSITION REGION
• Gravity ceases to be the dominant
force in this region
• Magnetism takes over
• Temperature jumps to almost
1,000,000 K in this region
TRANSITION REGION
• TRACE 19.5 nm wavelength image of the solar corona
with a dark prominence at lower center. The transition
region is visible as a low, bright fog over the surface of
the Sun and as a thin bright nimbus around the
prominence itself. The large, bright structures are
magnetic loops in the solar corona.
CORONA
• Latin for “Crown”
• No defined altitude above the Sun
• 1-3 million K
• We don’t know what causes this
heating
CORONA
• Larger image of 1999 Eclipse
CORONA
• Visible during an eclipse or with
special equipment
• The most turbulent area of the Sun
CORONA
• Coronal loops are the results of
magnetic storms on the Sun
• 1000’s of times bigger than Earth
CORONA
• This is also where solar flares come
from (also called Coronal Mass
Ejections)
• A portion of the Corona is excited
and jumps up from the surface
• These usually only last 15 or so minutes
but can cause serious problems on
Earth
CORONA
HELIOSPHERE
• This area encompasses the entire
Solar System
• It is the entire region of space that is
influenced by the Sun
• Voyager 1 left this region on August
25, 2012
VOYAGER 1
• This probe was launched in 1977
• Designed to tour the solar system and
then head out into interstellar
(between the stars) space
• Discovered to have left the solar
system last year