1. Features of the Sun 6 th Grade

2. The Sun’s Composition

3. What is a Sunspot?

4. Sunspots: areas of the sun’s surface that appear darker than the rest of the Sun’s surface

5. Why do Sunspots occur?

6. Sunspots: are areas on the sun’s surface that are cooler than the gases surrounding them.

7. Cooler gases do not give off as much light as hotter gases. Sunspots look darker than the rest of the photosphere.

8. Sunspots Appear and disappear over a period of several days, weeks, or months

9. How big are Sunspots?

10. Sunspots They look small, but some can be larger than the size of the Earth Even though sunspots are cooler than the rest of the surface layers of the Sun, they are still about 7,000 degrees F (while the sun’s surface is 9,800 degrees F)

11. What is a PROMINENCE? What is a PROMINENCE?

12. Prominence An arc of gas that erupts from the surface of the sun Held in place by a strong magnetic field

13. Prominences Reddish loops of gas that LINK different parts of sunspot regions When a group of sunspots is near the edge of the sun as seen from Earth, these loops can be seen extending over the edge of the sun.

14. Prominences Extend from the photosphere all the way out to the Sun’s corona Prominences form in one day and can last between several weeks and a few months Prominence gases are MUCH cooler than surrounding gases in the corona

15. Prominences

16. SOLAR FLARE: a bright spot that appears on the Sun because of a surface eruption

17. SOLAR FLARE A sudden brightening on the sun’s surface caused by an energy release The energy release heats gas on the sun to up to 24 million degrees Fahrenheit, causing gas to erupt into space

18. SOLAR FLARES Cause SOLAR WIND (or a Solar Storm)

19. Solar Wind: A stream of energy released by the Sun that escapes sun’s gravity and travels through space

20. Solar Wind Caused by the energy produced by SOLAR FLARES Solar wind travels to Earth and collects at the North and South poles Travels about 900,000 miles per hour

21. What protects the Earth from Solar Wind? We are shielded from most of the solar particles by an invisible “force field” –Earth’s magnetic field

22. The Earth’s Magnetic Field

23. Solar Wind causes powerful phenomena on Earth like…

24. Auroras Rippling sheets of light in the sky caused by solar wind in the atmosphere Only occur at the North and South poles

25. How Auroras Form

26. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5utQxtma2U