PHYS 1513 Chapter Notes -Strong Gravity, The Fluid, Photosphere
Document Summary
The sun is the center of our solar system, with 9 planets, asteroids and other objects rotating around it. One of 100 billion stars in our galaxy, the sun provides light and heat to the orbiting planets. It is extremely large compared to the earth. The sun consists of about 70% hydrogen, 28% helium and 2% of metals such as iron. Other characteristics are its rotation, temperature, and radiation. The temperature inside the sun is extremely high, being driven by nuclear fusion reactions. The surface of the sun gives off visible light, charged particles and occasionally high energy particles. The size and mass of the sun and its distance to the. That compares with 12,756 km for diameter of the. In other words, the diameter of the sun is over 100 times the diameter of the earth. The mass of the sun is about 2 x 1030 kilograms (2 followed by 30 zeros).
