ASTR 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Limb Darkening, Solar Flare, Big Bang
24 Oct 2017
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Document Summary
The sun"s energy is generated by thermonuclear reactions in its core. Thermonuclear fusion occurs only at very high temperatures. In the sun, fusion occurs only in the dense, hot core. The sun"s energy is produced by hydrogen fusion, not in a single step, but in a sequence of thermonuclear reactions in which four hydrogen nuclei combine to produce a single helium nucleus. A theoretical model of the sun shows how energy gets from its center to its surface. Hydrogen fusion takes place in a core extending from the sun"s center to about 0. 25 solar radius. ~ in this zone, energy travels outward through radiative diffusion. The radiative zone is surrounded by a rather opaque convective zone of gas at relatively low pressure. ~ in this zone, energy travels outward primarily through convection. How do we know about the solar interior? by using the sun"s own vibrations. Helioseismology is the study of how the sun vibrates.
