The Photosphere
The first time we see the electromagnetic energy formed in the
core of the Sun is when it leaves the
photosphere.
This is called the
surface of the Sun simply because we can't see any deeper into the
Sun - the gas of the Sun becomes too opaque further down.
Of course when I say `see', I don't mean `look at', because as you
should know by now NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.
At the photosphere, radiation becomes important again. It is from the
photosphere that the visible light is radiated. The photosphere is a
relatively cool place for the Sun - it's only around 6,000 degrees.
As you go higher up in the solar atmosphere, the temperature
rises to over one million degrees in the corona.
Sometimes cool material is trapped up
in the corona. These strange solar features
are called
prominences or filaments.
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Well the energy goes on up... |
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...but we'll just stop here and rest, for the moment!
