Ch. 10 Our Star

What is the name of this red layer of the Sun (seen just before or after a total solar eclipse)?
1. chromosphere
2. photosphere
3. corona
4. sunspot
What is the name of this layer of the Sun (seen any day)?
1. chromosphere
2. photosphere
3. corona
4. sunspot
What is the name of this layer of the Sun (seen during a total solar ecleipse)?
1. chromosphere
2. photosphere
3. corona
4. sunspot
What is the name of the darker regions sometimes visible on the Sun (seen any day)?
1. chromosphere
2. photosphere
3. corona
4. sunspot
What is the name of these long dark strands sometimes visible on the Sun (seen any day using a hydrogen-alpha filter)?
1. filament
2. granulation
3. prominence
4. plage
What is the name of these convective cells seen on the Sun? (Marked X)
1. filament
2. granulation
3. prominence
4. plage
What is the name of loops of hot plasma seen on the Sun?
1. filament
2. granulation
3. prominence
4. plage
What is the brighter-than-normal regions seen on the Sun?
1. filament
2. granulation
3. prominence
4. plage
What is the name of outer (not-so-dark) region of this sunspot? (Marked Y)
1. umbra
2. penumbra
3. flare
4. spicules
What is the name of inner (darker) region of this sunspot? (Marked º)
1. umbra
2. penumbra
3. flare
4. spicules
What is the name of this very active (very hot and bright) region of the Sun?
1. umbra
2. penumbra
3. flare
4. spicules
What are these blade-like structures on the Sun called?
1. umbra
2. penumbra
3. flare
4. spicules
When can people see the corona and chromosphere of the Sun?
1. Anytime - using special solar-filter goggles
2. Never - these are inside the Sun
3. During a total solar eclipse
4. During a total lunar eclipse
What causes the granulation seen on the Sun's surface? (Marked X)
1. Convection currents (like a boiling motion)
2. Magnetic storms on the Sun
3. Sunspots
4. Sand-sized grains of metal
Elements in the Sun's corona have been ionized about a dozen times. What does this mean?
1. 12 electrons have been stripped away from the atoms
2. Electrons are about 12 times farther from the nucleus than normal
3. The corona has only about 12 different elements in it
4. Nothing
Elements in the Sun's corona have been ionized about a dozen times.
What does this tell us about the temperature of the corona?
1. The corona must be very hot
2. The corona must be very cool
3. The corona must be very smooth
4. Nothing
Why are sunspots dark?
1. They are hotter than the surrounding surface
2. They are cooler than the surrounding surface
3. They are made of different material compared to the surrounding surface
4. You can't fool me; sunspots are not dark
Why do sunspots occur in pairs?
1. They are magnetic
2. They are shy
3. They are connceted by string
4. You can't fool me; sunspots don't occur in pairs - they occur in Paris
Sunspots DO NOT cause static on your radio.
What solar feature can cause static on your radio?
1. flares
2. the photosphere
3. spicules
4. you can't fool me; sunspots do cause static
Why are the years 1645 to 1715 called the Maunder Minimum?
1. There were very few sunspots seen during this period
2. The brightness of the Sun was very low during this period
3. The energy output of the Sun was very low during this period
4. The cloud cover on Earth was very low during this period
What evidence supports the theory that the Sun's corona extends much farther into space than it appears to?
1. The tails of comets point away from the Sun
2. Meteorites have high concentration of iridium in them
3. The corona can be SEEN to stretch for billions of miles
4. There is no evidence for this
What do we call the "invisible" corona that stretches for billions of miles into space?
1. the comet's tail
2. the solar wind
3. the comet's wind
4. the solar tail

Ch. 10 Our Star - The Sun

Review Questions