Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 15, Problem 17E
The text explains that plages are found near sunspots, but Figure 15.18 shows that they appear even in areas without sunspots. What might be the explanation for this?
Figure 15.18 Plages on the Sun. This image of the Sun was taken with a filter that transmits only the light of the spectral line produced by singly ionized calcium. The bright cloud-like regions are the plages. (credit: modification of work by NASA)
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If a sunspot has a temperature of 4,270 K and the average solar photosphere has a temperature of 5,780 K, how many times more energy is emitted in 1 second from a square meter of the photosphere compared to a square meter of the sunspot? (Hint: Use the Stefan-Boltzmann law,
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where E is the energy, σ is a proportionality constant equal to 5.67 ✕ 10−8 J/s/m2/K4, and T is the temperature in kelvins.)
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Chapter 15 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 15 - Describe the main differences between the...Ch. 15 - Describe how energy makes its way from the nuclear...Ch. 15 - Make a sketch of the Sun’s atmosphere showing the...Ch. 15 - Why do sunspots look dark?Ch. 15 - Which aspects of the Sun’s activity cycle have a...Ch. 15 - Summarize the evidence indicating that over...Ch. 15 - What it the Zeeman effect and what does it tell us...Ch. 15 - Explain how the theory of the Sun’s dynamo results...Ch. 15 - Compare and contrast the four different types of...Ch. 15 - What are the two sources of particles coming from...
Ch. 15 - How does activity on the Sun affect human...Ch. 15 - How does activity on the Sun affect natural...Ch. 15 - Table 15.1 indicates that the density of the Sun...Ch. 15 - Starting from the core of the Sun and going...Ch. 15 - Since the rotation period of the Sun can be...Ch. 15 - Suppose an (extremely hypothetical) elongated...Ch. 15 - The text explains that plages are found near...Ch. 15 - Why would a flare be observed in visible light,...Ch. 15 - How can the prominences, which are so big and...Ch. 15 - If you were concerned about space weather and...Ch. 15 - Suppose you live in northern Canada and an...Ch. 15 - The edge of the Sun doesn’t have to be absolutely...Ch. 15 - Show that the statement that 92% of the Sun’s...Ch. 15 - From Doppler shifts of the spectral lines in the...Ch. 15 - Assuming an average sunspot cycle of 11 years, how...Ch. 15 - This chapter gives the average sunspot cycle as 11...Ch. 15 - The escape velocity from any astronomical object...Ch. 15 - Suppose you observe a major solar flare while...Ch. 15 - Suppose an eruptive prominence rises at a speed of...Ch. 15 - From the information in Figure 15.21, estimate the...
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- If a sunspot has a temperature of 4200 K and the average solar photosphere has a temperature of 5780 K, how much more energy is emitted in 1 second from a square meter of the photosphere compared to a square meter of the sunspot? (Hint: Use the Stefan-Boltzmann law, Eq. 7-1.)arrow_forwardAssuming an average sunspot cycle of 11 years, how many revolutions does the equator of the Sun make during that one cycle? Do higher latitudes make more or fewer revolutions compared to the equator?arrow_forwardSuppose an (extremely hypothetical) elongated sunspot forms that extends from a latitude of 30° to a latitude of 40° along a fixed of longitude on the Sun. How will the appearance of that sunspot change as the Sun rotates? (Figure 15.17 should help you figure this out.) Figure 15.17 Magnetic Field Lines Wind Up. Because the Sun spins faster at the equator than near the poles, the magnetic fields in the Sun tend to wind up as shown, and after a while make loops. This is an idealized diagram; the real situation is much more complex.arrow_forward
- This chapter gives the average sunspot cycle as 11 years. Verify this using Figure 15.26. Figure 15.26 Numbers of Sunspots over Time. This diagram shows how the number of sunspots has changed with time since counts of the numbers of spots began to be recorded on a consistent scale. Note the low number of spots during the early years of the nineteenth century, the Little Maunder Minimum. (credit: modification of work by NASA/ARC)arrow_forwardFrom the information in Figure 15.21, estimate the speed with which the particles in the CME in parts (c) and (d) are moving away from the Sun. Figure 15.21 Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection. This sequence of four images shows the evolution over time of a giant eruption on the Sun. (a) The event began at the location of a sunspot group, and (b) a flare is seen in far-ultraviolet light. (c) Fourteen hours later, a CME is seen blasting out into space. (d) Three hours later, this CME has expanded to form a giant cloud of particles escaping from the Sun and is beginning the journey out into the solar system. The white circle in (c) and (d) shows the diameter of the solar photosphere. The larger dark area shows where light from the Sun has been blocked out by a specially designed instrument to make it possible to see the faint emission from the corona. (credit a, b, c, d: modification of work by SOHO/EIT, SOHO/LASCO, SOHO/MDI (ESA & NASA))arrow_forwardThe text says that the Local Fluff, which surrounds the Sun, has a temperature of 7500 K and a density 0.1 atom per cm3. The Local Fluff is embedded in hot gas with a temperature of 106 K and a density of about 0.01 atom per cm3. Are they in equilibrium? (Hint: In pressure equilibrium, the two regions must have nT equal, where n is the number of particles per unit volume and T is the temperature.) What is likely to happen to the Local Fluff?arrow_forward
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- Explain why there is the low number of observed solar neutrinos?arrow_forwardWhich of the following layers of the Sun can be seen with some type of telescope? Consider all forms of light, but do not consider neutrinos or other particles. (Give ALL correct answers in alphabetical order, i.e., B, AC, BCD...)A) Corona.B) Photosphere.C) Radiation Zone.D) Chromosphere.E) Convection Zone.F) Core.arrow_forwardWhat is the name of the specific nuclear fusion process that dominates energy production in the core of the Sun and gives a brief description of how it works. What I'm looking for in this description is what is the basic premise behind nuclear fusion and what is going into this specific fusion reaction and what comes out of it.arrow_forward
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