Life on Earth would not exist without our big hot radiant ball of gas. However simply how hot is the sun? Well, that depends … The temperature level of the sun varies from around 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius) at the core to only about 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C) at the surface, according to NASA. Every 1.5 millionths of a second, the sun releases more energy than all human beings consume in an entire year according to NASA Space Place. Here, we explore how hot each layer of the sun is and why the temperatures differ so much. Related: When will the sun pass away? Where does the suns heat come from?The sun is made of gas and plasma. The majority of the gas– 92%– is hydrogen. If the sun were smaller sized, it would just be a big ball of hydrogen akin to Jupiter. According to NASA Space Place, the hydrogen in the suns core is held together by a lot of gravity resulting in high pressure. The pressure is so high that when hydrogen atoms hit sufficient force they develop a brand-new component– helium– in a process called nuclear blend. The continual nuclear blend, causes energy to develop and the suns core reaches temperatures of about 27 million degrees F (15 million degrees C). The energy then radiates outward to the suns surface area, environment and beyond.Radiative zone temperaturesOutside the suns core lies the radiative zone where temperature levels range from 12 million degrees F (7 million degrees C) closest the core to around 4 million degrees F (2 million degrees C) in the outer radiative zone, according to the educational website Study.com. No thermal convection occurs in this layer, according to the science news site Phys.org. Rather, heat is transferred through thermal radiation whereby hydrogen and helium discharge photons that travel a short range prior to getting reabsorbed by other ions. It can take light particles (photons) countless years to meander their way through this layer prior to reaching the surface of the sun. Convection zone temperaturesBeyond the radiative zone is the suns convective zone which extends for 120,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) according to Study.com. Temperature levels in the convection zone are around 4 million degrees F (2 million degrees C). Plasma in this layer relocates a convective movement– like boiling water– bubbles of hot plasma transport heat to the surface area of the sun. The suns environment: Photosphere, chromosphere and corona temperaturesThe temperature of the sun varies between each layer of the atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA/SDO) Temperatures in the suns atmosphere also vary substantially between the layers. In the photosphere, temperatures reach about 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C) according to the instructional website The Sun Today. It is here that the suns radiation is detected as noticeable light. Due to the fact that they are cooler than the other parts of the suns surface area, sunspots on the photosphere appear dark. The temperature level of sunspots can be as low as 5,400 to 8,100 degrees F (3,000 to 4,500 degrees C) according to the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR). The chromosphere lies above the photosphere and temperature levels range from approximately 11,000 degrees F (6,000 degrees C) nearby the photosphere to about 7,200 degrees F (4,000 degrees C) a number of hundred miles higher up. Now here is where things get a bit unusual. Above the chromosphere lies the corona– the outermost layer of the suns environment. The suns corona extends countless miles above the noticeable “surface area” (photosphere) of the sun. Now you might believe that temperature levels here should be the most affordable here since we are the farthest away from the heat-generating core … but that isnt the case. At all. The suns corona can reach temperature levels of around 1.8 million degrees F to 3.6 million degrees F (1 to 2 million degrees C), thats up to 500 times hotter than the photosphere. However how is the suns upper environment hotter than the surface area? Its a terrific concern, and one that has scientists rather stumped. There are some concepts about where the energy originates from that warms the corona, however a definitive conclusion is yet to be made. If you d like to check out more about this solar mystery check out this post on “Why is the suns environment hotter than its surface area?”. Extra readingYou can check out the sun in more detail with NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory or maintain to date with the newest findings from NASAs Parker Solar Probe on its objective to “touch” the sun. If you want to enhance your understanding and understanding of the sun check out this complimentary course thanks to the Open University. Check out energy from the sun and how we can utilize it in this useful guide from the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). Bibliography.
Where does the suns heat come from?The sun is made of gas and plasma. The energy then radiates outward to the suns surface area, atmosphere and beyond.Radiative zone temperaturesOutside the suns core lies the radiative zone where temperatures range from 12 million degrees F (7 million degrees C) nearby the core to around 4 million degrees F (2 million degrees C) in the outer radiative zone, according to the instructional site Study.com. The suns corona extends thousands of miles above the visible “surface area” (photosphere) of the sun. The suns corona can reach temperature levels of around 1.8 million degrees F to 3.6 million degrees F (1 to 2 million degrees C), thats up to 500 times hotter than the photosphere. Extra readingYou can check out the sun in more information with NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory or keep up to date with the most current findings from NASAs Parker Solar Probe on its mission to “touch” the sun.