Table of Contents
- 1 How does heat energy move through the convection zone of the Sun?
- 2 How does a convection zone transfer energy?
- 3 What is the purpose of the convection zone of the Sun?
- 4 What happens when there is a sudden drop of temperature in the sun’s core?
- 5 What happens to the energy in the sun’s convection zone?
- 6 How long does it take for energy from the Sun to reach the top of the convection zone?
- 7 What is the temperature of the convection zone?
- 8 Which is closer to the core the convection zone or the radiative zone?
- 9 How is the convection zone of a star formed?
- 10 How is energy transported in a convection zone?
How does heat energy move through the convection zone of the Sun?
The energy produced through fusion in the core moves outward, first in the form of electromagnetic radiation called photons in the so-called radiative zone. Next, energy moves upward in photon heated solar gas. This type of energy transport is convection.
How does a convection zone transfer energy?
A convection zone, convective zone or convective region of a star is a layer which is unstable due to convection. Energy is primarily or partially transported by convection in such a region. In a radiation zone, energy is transported by radiation and conduction.
What happens at the convection zone of the Sun?
In the convective zone, the temperatures are cool enough—under 1,800,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000,000 degrees Kelvin)—that the atoms in the plasma there can absorb the photons coming outward from the Sun’s radiative zone. The plasma gets very hot, and begins to rise upward out of the Sun.
What is the purpose of the convection zone of the Sun?
The convection zone is the outer-most layer of the interior. It extends from a depth of 200,000 km up to the visible surface of the Sun. Energy is transported by convection in this region. The surface of the convection zone is where light (photons) is created.
What happens when there is a sudden drop of temperature in the sun’s core?
So, as the fusing helium heats the core, which cannot expand to cool down, the increased temperature causes the helium fusion to suddenly proceed millions of times faster, which very rapidly heats the core even more, which in turn causes the helium to fuse way, way faster . . .
How thick is the sun’s convection zone?
| Core | Radius of 150,000 km | 10,000,000 K |
|---|---|---|
| Convective Zone | 200,000 km thick | 500,000 K |
| Photosphere | 500 km thick | 5800 K |
| Chromosphere | 10,000 km thick | 4,000 to 400,000 K |
| Corona | 5,000,000 km thick | 1,000,000 K |
What happens to the energy in the sun’s convection zone?
What happens to energy in the Sun’s convection zone? Energy is transported outward by the rising of hot plasma and sinking of cooler plasma. We are seeing hot gas rising and cool gas falling due to the convection that occurs beneath the surface.
How long does it take for energy from the Sun to reach the top of the convection zone?
Although I’ve left all of the messy mathematics out, I calculated that while traveling at the speed of light, that photon would take about 264 years for a photon to travel from the core of the Sun to the Convection Zone.
How thick is the Sun’s convection zone?
What is the temperature of the convection zone?
about 2,000,000° C.
The convection zone is the outer-most layer of the solar interior. It extends from a depth of about 200,000 km right up to the visible surface. At the base of the convection zone the temperature is about 2,000,000° C.
Which is closer to the core the convection zone or the radiative zone?
The convection zone is farther away from the core than the the radiative zone. At this point turbulent convective motions occur, similar to a pot of boiling water. The overturning (bubbling) motions inside the Sun are responsible for the granulation pattern seen on the Sun’s surface.
Is the convection zone visible in the Sun?
This combination of circumstances produces an outer convection zone, the top of which is visible in the Sun as solar granulation. Low mass main sequences of stars, such as red dwarfs below 0.35 solar masses, as well as pre-main sequence stars on the Hayashi track, are convective throughout and do not contain a radiation zone.
How is the convection zone of a star formed?
The high temperature gradient in the core region forms a convection zone that slowly mixes the hydrogen fuel with the helium product. The core convection zone of these stars is overlaid by a radiation zone that is in thermal equilibrium and undergoes little or no mixing.
How is energy transported in a convection zone?
A convection zone, convective zone or convective region of a star is a layer which is unstable to convection. Energy is primarily or partially transported by convection in such a region. In a radiation zone, energy is transported by radiation and conduction.