The Sun's Structure

The Interior
 
The Core : The core contains ~1/2 of the sun's mass.  
                    Hydrogen is converted to helium through nuclear fusion.


The Radiative Zone : This layer emits radiation and diffuses it outwards.
                                        It takes each photon millions of years to make its
                                        way gradually out to the surface.


The Convective Zone : This layer is dominated by convection. It consists
                                            of several turbulent cells that act like a pot of
                                           boiling water. (hotter gas rising, cooler gas sinking)
                           





The arrows mark the convective zone.

                               

The Solar Atmosphere

The Photosphere :  The lowest and densest part of the atmosphere.  This is also the part of the sun we see.

The Chromosphere : The layer above the photosphere.  Temperatures rise to ~3 times that of the photosphere and it appears a reddish color.              

The Corona :  The outermost layer of the atmosphere.  Temperatures soar to a million degrees C and it extends for millions of miles.
                           It is visible only during a solar eclipse and shines brightly in x-rays.


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