| Clusters,
Planets and Comets - 1 |
Clusters,
Planets and Comets - 2 |
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Sol
Our sun is a fascinating celestial object. It s gravity holds our solar system together.
As the center of the solar system, it is a
sphere of hot plasma, heated by nuclear fusion in its core.
On the surface, the temperature is 5500
degrees celsius (9932 Fahrenheit).
At 4..6 billion years old it is a
middle-aged G-type star and sits 92.96 million miles away
from Earth.
Its light takes about 8.3 minutes to travel
to us. About 1,300,000 Earths will fit into it.
Some of the prominent features of the Sun
that you'll see on the Sol page are listed below.
Except as noted all images Copyright © by Ron Yelton and may not be used without permission.
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Click on the Sun to go to
the Sun page
Sun Spots: Dark
areas associated with strong magnetic fields and
the 11-yr cycle.
They are usually seen in pairs. Granualation: Small convective cells that give the Sun a grainy appearance. Solar Prominences: Large glowing loops of plasma that extend high into the Sun's atmosphere, and travel along magnetic lines. Filament: Solar prominence as viewed against the Sun's disk. Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections: Eruptions of highly energized particles from the Sun's surface. Faculae:Very bright spots on the surface. Granules: Small, bright, convective cells of hot gas from the interior about 600 600 miles in diameter. They spread out as they reach the surface where they then cool and then sink back into the interior. |
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Except as noted all images Copyright © by Ron Yelton and may not be used without permission.