Solar System | Structure of the Sun

The Sun:

Solar system is revolving around its central point which is Sun. Sun is the biggest, brightest and hottest object in the solar system. However, the sun is as ordinary as other star. It started billions of years ago and hence became the Red Giant. It is made of about 70% hydrogen and 28% helium and some other matters.

Structure of the Sun:

(i)Inner Layers:

Core:  The core is the centre most part of the sun where nuclear fusion occurs.

Radiation Zone: The energy produced by nuclear fusion transmitted through radiation.

Convection Zone: In this layer the energy is transmitted by convection process.

(ii)Sun’s Atmosphere:

Photosphere: it is the lower atmosphere and what we see from naked eye.

Chromospheres: It is an orange-red layer of atmosphere thousands of miles thick.

Corona: It is the upper most part of the atmosphere, and it is millions of miles thick.

Sunspot: The Dark areas appear on the sun also known as sunspots.

Solar Prominence: Arch shaped burst of gas energy from sun.

Solar Flare: Outward burst of gas energy from sun.

Auroras: Solar wind reacting with the earth’s magnetic field.

Planets:

(i) Inner Planets: these are the set of rocky planets means having rocky core. These planets are smaller than outer planets. These planets have either fewer or no moons.

 

Mercury: It is solid, very hot and closest to the sun. It is covered with craters. The mercury has no atmosphere and it is the smallest planet of the solar system.

Venus: It is the sixth largest planet. it is about three-fourth the size of earth. The surface of Venus is rocky and very hot. Its atmosphere completely hides the surface and traps the heat (greenhouse effect) so makes it very hot.

Earth: The 5^th largest planet and third from the sun. Liquid covers 71% of the earth’s surface. The earth has one moon and it is the only planet where the life is possible.

Mars: It is the fourth planet from sun. It has thin atmosphere that contains mostly carbon dioxide. Its nick name is Red Planet because its surface soil is highly oxidized (meaning rusted) and it has two moons.

The Asteroid Belt: It is what separates the inner planets from outer planets; Asteroids (similar to meteoroid) are rocky or metallic objects, most of which orbit the sun in the Asteroid Belt between mars and Jupiter.

(ii) Outer Planets:

Jupiter: It doesn’t have solid surface. This planet is a ball of liquid surrounded gas. It has a great red spot, a huge storm of swirling gas that has lasted for hundreds of years. It has four large Galilean moons, twelve smaller named moons and twenty-three more recently discovered but not named moons.

Saturn: It is the second largest planet and sixth from the sun. Saturn is made of materials that are lighter than water. It has rings around it which are not solid and are composed of small countless particles of gas and dust. It has several moons. 

Uranus: It is the third largest and seventh from the sun planet. It is one of the giant gas planets. Its color is blue-green because of the methane in its atmosphere.

Neptune: It is fourth largest and eighth from the sun. It is also blue-green because of methane in its atmosphere just like Uranus.

Kuiper Belt: It is disk-shaped region of rocky materials after Neptune’s orbits.

Oort cloud: Beyond Kuiper Belt the Oort Clouds come, it is where trillions of comets come from. Comets are different from Asteroids and Meteoroids in the fact that they are Ice, Gas and Dust so when they come near to the Sun the gas burns out and we visualize it as comet.