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 interior
of the Sun is made up of different layers, one inside the other. The innermost
layer, the solar core,
is the region where the energy of the Sun is produced. This energy travels
through the next layer of the solar interior, called the
radiation zone, and eventually reaches the
convection zone, where energy is transferred mainly by the
overturning of solar gases.
This convection produces an everchanging pattern of cells on the
surface of the sun.
Direct observations inside the Sun are not possible, however some
diagnostics
exist that allow us to study the Sun's interior.
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