Details Title: ASTRONOMY CHAPTER 8 Description: from book and outline paper Total Flash Cards: 52 Created: 04/01/2009 18:35:04		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Astronomy Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term True or False: the sun is not considered an average star? Definition False Term What is the sun's spectral type? Definition G2 Term Why does the sun appear so bright when compared to other stars? Definition because it is so close to earth Term What is the layer of the Sun's atmosphere above the apparent surface called? Definition chromosphere Term What is the sun's outermost layer of atmosphere called? Definition Corona Term Does the temperature of the solar interior increase or decrease as we move inward? Definition increase Term What is the apparent surface of the Sun called? Definition Photosphere Term What is the temperature and depth of the photosphere? Definition temp: 5800 k depth: 500 km Term Is the chromosphere above or below the photosphere? Definition above Term In what region of the chromosphere does the temperature jump from about 10,000k to 1 million? Definition the transition region Term What are spicules? Definition parts of cooler gas from the photosphere rising up to chromosphere Term the corona have low/high density and cold/hot gas. Definition low and hot (1 million K) Term What is the constant flow of particles from the Sun called? Definition solar wind Term What is the study of wave patterns on the surface of the sun called? Definition helioseismology Term What is the process in which energy generation in the sun and other stars is done? Definition Nuclear fission Term Up to what element can energy be gained through nuclear fusion? Definition iron Term How is energy gained through elements heavier than iron? Definition nuclear fission Term what is the basic reaction in the core of the sun called? Definition proton-proton chain Term The proton-proton chain consists of converting what? Definition 4 hydrogen nucluei to 1 Helium nucleus plus energy Term In the radiation zone, what is energy transferred through? Definition radiation Term IN the convection zone, what is energy transferred through? Definition convection Term what are cooler regions of the photosphere called? Definition sun spots Term What are sunspots related to on the photospehre? Definition magnetic activity Term How long is the total solar cycle? Definition 22 years Term What was the period with little sunspot activity from 1650-1700AD known as? Definition Maunder Minimum Term Where does the sun rotate faster at, the equator or the poles? Definition equator Term True or false: every 11 years, the order of the leading sunspots is reversted. Definition true Term what are the Northern Lights caused from? Definition solar flares Term what is the orgin of solar wind? Definition coronal holes Term what is the term that expresses the amount of energy we receive from the Sun? Definition Solar constant Term What does the photosphere do? Definition absorbs and re-emits radiation produced in sun Term What is nuclear fusion? Nuclear fission? Definition nuclear fusion: combine light nuclei to make heavier nuclei (nuclear reactors on earth) nuclear fission: split heavy nuclei into lighter nuclei (sun generates its energy through this) Term What are the three layers of the solar atmosphere? Definition photosphere, chromosphere, and corona Term What is the granulation of the photosphere produced by? Definition convection currents of hot gas rising from below Term True or false: the limb of the solar disk is brighter than the center. Definition false, dimmer than the center Term What is the limb darkening evidence of? Definition the temperature in the solar atmosphere increases with depth Term When is the chromosphere most easily reconizable? What is it's pink color caused by? Definition total solar eclipses; caused by Balmer emission lines in its spectrum Term What do filtergrams reveal? Definition invisible features such as spicules and filaments Term when is corona most easily visible and what is used to study them? Definition total solar eclipses and coronagraphs Term What is the magnetic carpet? Definition magnetic field extending up into the atmosphere Term What causes solar wind? Definition coronal holes Term Why can fusion only occur at the center of the sun? Definition because charged particles repel each other Term What is deuterium? Definition a heavy isotope of hydrogen Term What three things is energy produced as? Definition positrons, neutroninos, and gamma rays Term Why are sunspots dark? Definition because they are cooler than the rest of the photosphere Term Early in the sunspot cycle, where do spots appear? later? What diagram shows this? Definition farther from the sun's equator earlier, farther later. Shown through the Maunder butterfly effect Term what do astronomers use the Zeeman effect to measure? Definition magnetic fields on the sun Term What are sunspots visible consequences from? Definition active regions Term what are active regions? Definition sun's magnetic field is strong Term what is the sun's magnetic field produced by? where does that operate? Definition dynamo effect, which operates at the base of the convection zone Term What causes active regions? Definition tangles in the magnetic fields go above the surface Term When do coronal mass ejections occur? Definition when magnetic fields on the surface of the sun send out bursts of ionized gas that flow outward in solar wind