Schematic view of the inner structure of the Sun
Click on image for full size and a more detailed image of the interior of the Sun
NASA
The Solar Interior
To understand how our Sun works, it helps to imagine that the inside
of the Sun is made up of different layers, one inside the other.
The center of the Sun is called the core. It is the
region where the energy of the Sun is produced. We know that
the Sun produces energy because we feel hot on a summer day.
The Sun's energy travels outwards from the core.
The energy travels first through the
radiative zone, where particles of light carry the energy. It takes
millions of years for the energy to move to the next layer,
the convection zone.
At the
convection zone, energy travels faster. This time it is
the motion of the gases in the Sun that moves the energy outwards.
The gas at this layer mixes and bubbles, like the motion in a pot of boiling
water.This bubbling effect is seen on
the surface of the Sun.
We
can't see inside the Sun. So scientists use other diagnostics. These
diagnostics help us know what is inside the Sun.
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