What are the dark spots on the surface of the sun called?
Sun spots.
How do scientits look at the sun?
Through a filtered telescope.
What are sun spots?
Areas of cooler gases.
In which layer are sunspots found?
Photosphere.
How much cooler can sun spots be than the rest of the sun?
1500 degrees Celcius
What do scientists think is linked to the sunspot cycle?
Climate change.
How long is the sunspot cycle?
10 -11 years.
What has been linked to sunspot activity?
The Little Ice Age.
What was The Little Ice Age?
A time in earth's history when most of the world had colder and harsher weather. 1550 - 1850.
About how often does "low sunspot activity" occur?
Every 500 years
What are solar prominences?
They look like flames shooting out of the sun. They are really loops of gas that connect sunspots.
What temperature are solar prominences?
10,000 degrees Celcius.
How long can solar prominences last?
Several hours.
How far into the photosphere can solar prominences go?
Millions of kilometers.
What happens if solar prominences connect?
Large amounts of energy are released, this energy heats the gases to millions of degrees Celsius. The hydrogen then explodes into space in a solar flare.
What impact do solar flares have?
They impact solar wind. They greatly increase the solar wind, which increases the number of charged particles that reach earth.
When the number of charged particles that reach earth are increased what happens?
The result is a magnetic storm.
Where does a magnetic storm happen?
Earth's upper atmosphere.
What is a solar wind?
A stream of electrically charged particles.
Which direction do solar winds go?
Away from the sun in all directions.
How fast do solar winds go?
The electrically charged particles have an average speed of 400 km per second by the time they reach earth's atmosphere.
What are some effects of magnetic storms?
Compass readings may be inaccurate, land-based and satellite-controlled phones can be disrupted, electrical problems and interruption of air travel.
How long do magnetic stoms typically last?
48 hours.
What happens when some of the electrically charged particles make it into our atmopshere?
They hit gas molecules in our atmosphere that cause them to glow.
Why don't more charged particles enter our atmosphere?
Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere block these charged particles from entering earth's atmosphere.
What is the phenomenon of the charged particles hitting gas molecules in our atmosphere called?
Auroras.
Where do the electrically charged particles "sneak" into our atmosphere?
The North and South poles.