Energy from the Sun is created in the core and travels outward through the Sun and into the heliosphere.

The Sun and its atmosphere consist of several zones or layers. From the inside out, the solar interior consists of: the Core, the Radiative Zone, the Convective Zone. The core is the central region where nuclear reactions consume hydrogen to form helium. These reactions release the energy that ultimately leaves the surface as visible light. The Radiative Zone extends outward from the outer edge of the core to the base of the convection zone, characterized by the method of energy transport - radiation. The Convection Zone is the outermost layer of the solar interior extending from a depth of about 200,000 km to the visible surface where its motion is seen as granules and supergranules. The solar atmosphere is made up of: the Photosphere (the visible surface of the Sun), the Chromosphere (an irregular layer above the photosphere where the temperature rises from 6000°C to about 20,000°C), a Transition Region (a thin and very irregular layer of the Sun's atmosphere that separates the hot corona from the much cooler chromosphere), and the Corona (the Sun's outer atmosphere).

Topics: convection, corona, energy, heliosphere, light, nuclear fusion, plasma, radiation, solar wind, space weather

NGSS: PS1, PS3, PS4, ESS1, ESS2, ESS3

Image Credit: NASA