activities on the sun

• solar wind - stream of high-energy particles sent into space
• solar wind - causes the light displays aurora borealis and aurora australis
• aurora borealis - light display if seen from northern hemisphere
• aurora australis - light display if seen from southern hemisphere
• prominences - storms that look like huge arches; large, bright feature extending outward from the sun's surface
• sun - where solar prominences are anchored
• what is the difference between solar flares and prominences based on travelling through space? prominences' arches do not separate and travel through space while solar flares travel through space
• how long do prominences last? - several days
• how long do solar flares last - about 15 minutes
• solar flares - more intense than prominences
• sunspots - cool black storm areas
• sunspot - area where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than earth's, much higher than anywhere else on the Sun
• what causes sunspots to form? strong magnetic fields that trap charged particles (electrons) which absorb sunlight
• where does most of the sun's activity occur? near the equator
• why are sunspots darker than surrounding regions? they have less energy from the sun because electrons absorb it
• why are sunspots darker than other parts of the sun? they have less energy from nuclear fusion reactions so they appear darker
• why are there fewer sunspots at high latitudes? because they are farther from the equator
• what happens if two sunspots have same polarity? they join together
• what happens when two sunspots meet up with opposite polarity? they cancel out each other
• counting spots or measuring radio waves emitted by the sun - 2 ways scientists measure solar activity?
• what is an aurora borealis? northern lights
• what causes auroras to be green, red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, orange, white, etc.? different gases react differently to charged particles
• what is the name given to the cycle of increased and decreased solar activity over time? the solar cycle
• what does the solar cycle affect besides sunspot numbers? auroras, cosmic rays, and space weather
• what causes the solar cycle? changes in magnetic fields