(Exam With Complete Solutions) # 3 Review Questions

Describe the features of the Sun's atmosphere that are always present. {Ans: The photosphere is a thin layer from which most of the visible light we observe is emitted. Granules are conveying pockets of gas rising and falling in the Sun's atmosphere. The chromosphere contains jets of gas, called spicules, and larger regions of convecting gas, called super granules. The corona is the outermost layer of thin gas that extends far beyond the photosphere and eventually becomes the solar wind, and unsteady stream of particles that flow away from the Sun.}Why is knowing the temperature in a star's core so important in determining which nuclear reactions can occur there? {Ans: Fusion of specific elements to heavier elements requires a certain minimum temperature, and the heavier the elements being fused, the greater the minimum temperature. When we known the core temperature, we can be sure that there will be certain elements that could not fuse because they are too heavy to fuse at that temperature.}What is hydrogen fusion? This process is sometimes called "hydrogen burning." How is hydrogen burning fundamentally unlike the burning of a log in a fireplace? {Ans: Hydrogen fusion occurs when two or more hydrogen