The Big Plasma Ball in the Sky
As we heat up the gas, atoms break apart into charged particles turning the gas into plasma. The Sun's plasma is so hot that the most energetic charged particles can escape from the Sun's gravity and fly away, out into space. We call this plasma the solar wind because it blows out away from the Sun and past the planets, interacting with their magnetic fields and/or atmospheres. Along with the solar wind comes the Sun's magnetic field, which reaches from the Sun out to past Pluto and Neptune.
As we heat up the gas, atoms break apart into charged particles turning the gas into plasma. The Sun's plasma is so hot that the most energetic charged particles can escape from the Sun's gravity and fly away, out into space. We call this plasma the solar wind because it blows out away from the Sun and past the planets, interacting with their magnetic fields and/or atmospheres. Along with the solar wind comes the Sun's magnetic field, which reaches from the Sun out to past Pluto and Neptune.
Fusion of the Sun
Magnetic Sun
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Sun's Magnetic Field
The sun is not solid. It is a huge sphere of plasma, so it behaves like a gigantic ball of gas. Different parts of the Sun rotate at different rates. The Sun rotates more quickly at its equator than at its poles. Over time, the Sun's differential rotation rates cause its magnetic field to become twisted and tangled.
The "tangles" in the magnetic field lines can produce very, very strong localized magnetic fields. Places where "ropes" of bundled field lines "break" the surface of the Sun are active regions where sunspots form. These active regions often generate solar "storms": solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
The sun is not solid. It is a huge sphere of plasma, so it behaves like a gigantic ball of gas. Different parts of the Sun rotate at different rates. The Sun rotates more quickly at its equator than at its poles. Over time, the Sun's differential rotation rates cause its magnetic field to become twisted and tangled.
The "tangles" in the magnetic field lines can produce very, very strong localized magnetic fields. Places where "ropes" of bundled field lines "break" the surface of the Sun are active regions where sunspots form. These active regions often generate solar "storms": solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Magnetic Reconnection
Sunspots
Solar Cycle
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