Objectives: The Sun

Chapter Objectives: Our Sun is the only star we can study up close and in great detail; as such it will serve as the basis of comparison for all the other stars we will investigate. In this chapter we will list the basic properties of our Sun and its overall composition, and we will introduce the Standard Solar Model that attempts to explain these properties. The three directly observable layers of the Sun -- the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona -- will be described. The complex story of our Sun's changing magnetic field will be illustrated and the field's consequences, including the sunspot cycle and explosive solar flares, will be investigated.

Chapter Skills: After studying this chapter you should be able to

  1. Summarize the basic physical properties of our Sun.
  2. Describe the overall chemical composition of our Sun and show that it is essentially the same as the Universe as a whole.
  3. Discuss the Frauenhofer spectrum and how it gives us information concerning our Sun's composition.
  4. Characterize the interior zones inside the Sun and the mode of energy transport in each.
  5. Outline how helioseismology can reveal information about the solar interior.
  6. List the physical assumptions that are the basis of the Standard Solar Model.
  7. Describe the solar atmospheric layers (photosphere, chromosphere, and corona).
  8. Discuss the Sun's magnetic field and its relation to the sunspot cycle.
  9. Describe some of the consequences of the intense solar activity seen at sunspot maxima.
  10. Discuss the solar wind and its relationship to the solar corona.