Category Archives: Sun

Second Planet to the Sun

Posted on March 12, 2019 by reallyroyalqueen

The planet Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is the second largest terrestrial planet. It is also the second brightest natural object in the sky. Venus’ apparent magnitude of -3.8 to -4.6 makes it visible on a clear day. Venus’ atmosphere can be divided into two layers: the cloud … Continue reading Second Planet to the Sun → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General, Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Second Planet to the Sun

Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 12, 2019 by bobbyc

  Nuclear fusion is where two nuclei combine resulting in a displacement of energy. The fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium specifically is what powers the energy output of the sun. This can only occur under the most extreme conditions – typically, the positively charged nuclei of two atoms repel each other quite strongly, and … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Stars, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion

Space Weather

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alexdickey18

In this post, we will be discussing space weather! Space weather is dissimilar from the weather that we experience on earth, however it is still fascinating to understand. Space weather, in our solar system, is sparked by activity on the suns surface. Spewing gases and solar flares on the surface of the sun form into … Continue reading Space Weather → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Space Weather

The Sun

Posted on March 12, 2019 by calebglotta

Everyone knows the sun is what gives us light, much of our heat, and is vital to life on Earth, however there are many intriguing aspects that people do not know. The sun was formed four and a half billion years ago from the gas of a collapsing space cloud. This cloud continued to contract … Continue reading The Sun → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Sun

Understanding Our Sun

Posted on March 12, 2019 by dayvon

On August 12, 2018 the Parker Solar Probe was launched. The mission of this probe is to investigate activity in the Sun’s corona in order to provide us with information that can help us understand more about the star and Earth’s connection to it. Analyzing the data being sent back will allow scientists to potentially … Continue reading Understanding Our Sun → Continue reading →

Posted in Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Understanding Our Sun

Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 12, 2019 by anna_h

The Sun generates energy by fusing hydrogen into helium due to a process known as nuclear fusion. Fusion occurs within the Sun because the plasma in the solar core is full of hot gases that collide with one another at extremely high speeds. In most cases, electromagnetic repulsion forces deflect the nuclei of the two … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion

Sun Facts

Posted on March 12, 2019 by richardficek

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System and is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma. Its diameter is about 1.39 million kilometers (864,000 miles) – 109 times that of Earth – and its mass is about 330,000 times that of Earth. The Sun accounts for about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System and its … Continue reading Sun Facts → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , | Comments Off on Sun Facts

Gravity and Sun Size

Posted on March 12, 2019 by JSpin

Gravity as the Driving Force The Sun has a mass of 2 * 10^30 kg. Gravity exerts a compression force on the Sun proportional to this immense mass. So why doesn’t the sun collapse under the weight of its gravity? The pressure of the center of the Sun is about 340 billion times the air … Continue reading Gravity and Sun Size → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Gravity and Sun Size

Nuclear Fusion in the Sun

Posted on March 11, 2019 by richardtli

Nuclear fusion is the process in which the Sun and all other stars generate energy through the combination of light atoms into heavier ones. The nuclear fusion in most stars is carried out in proton-proton fusion. In the first step, two protons fused together to create a proton-neutron core and emitting a neutrino and positron. … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion in the Sun → Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Stars, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion in the Sun

An Artificial Sun

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Campbell Flower

In November of 2018, Chinese scientists announced their work on an artificial sun. Their goal is to develop the same nuclear fusion process that occurs within the sun (the conversion of hydrogen into helium) on Earth to ultimately create a source of unlimited clean energy. One of the biggest challenges of this project is to … Continue reading An Artificial Sun → Continue reading →

Posted in Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on An Artificial Sun