How to determine if the Sun is a planet or a star?

Many believe that the Sun is a planet. This misconception is probably due to the large size of this object.

General information

The sun is a day light. Around it rotate other objects of the system. Thanks to the activity of the luminary, life on Earth is maintained, the climate is determined. The sun is an ancient star. It is supposed that about four to five billion years ago a giant gas-dust nebula formed in space. From it formed the Sun and other planets of the system. However, the star absorbed most of the mass. The light from it reaches the Earth within only eight minutes.

Internal structure

To understand, the Sun is a planet or a star, it is possible, having considered the structure of the luminary. There are several signs that some objects differ from others. The sun and other stars are generally massive gas balls. They are kept by the forces of their own gravity.

The central part of the internal structure of the Sun is made in the form of a nucleus. Here, hydrogen is converted into helium. During this nuclear reaction , energy is released, which in turn is emitted from the solar surface in the visible part of the spectrum. At a distance of approximately 0.2 to 0.7 the radius of the object above the core is the region of radiative transfer. Here, the energy transition occurs mainly through the absorption and emission of photons.

In the convective zone this process is carried out by the substance itself, which is due to the rapid cooling of the layers located at the very top. What is happening is like a boiling liquid, which is heated from below. Visible layers are called "atmosphere". Their radiation partially reaches directly to the observer.

Visible surface of object

Stars, unlike planets, are capable of emitting light. In the layers that form the structure of these objects, corresponding reactions occur. Having examined the characteristics of the layers, one can get an answer to the question: "Is the sun a planet or a star?"

The visible surface of the light is the photosphere - the light emitting layer. Its thickness is from one hundred to four hundred kilometers. As we approach the outer edge, the temperature decreases from 6600 to 4400 K. The outer shell of the sun is the chromosphere. Its thickness is about 2 thousand km. The origin of the name of this layer is associated with a reddish color. With altitude, the temperature of the chromosphere rises from 4 to 20 thousand Kelvin.

The crown is the last shell of the Sun. Basically it consists of energy eruptions and prominences. The former emanate and erupt into hundreds of thousands, and in some cases even over a million kilometers. As a result, a solar wind forms in space. On average, the temperature of the crown varies from 1 to 2 million K. In some areas, it can reach up to twenty million. However, despite such a high temperature, the crown can be seen only during the eclipse. The insignificant brightness of this layer is due to the low density of its substance.

Features

Scientists study the Sun from the earliest times. Studies continue to this day. However, scientists have long no question: "Is the sun a planet or a star?"

At the end of the thirties of the 20th century physicist Hans Bethe suggested that fusion reactions and other similar objects are the reactions of thermonuclear fusion. They flow in the bowels of the stars. At a temperature that is estimated at millions of degrees, helium nuclei are synthesized from hydrogen nuclei.

The sun is a very active star. During the eclipse, you can see outbreaks and prominences - emissions of substances of different sizes. Flash on the background of the rest of the surface can be discerned with the help of special equipment. Their temperature is higher than the average surface temperature . The emergence of flares scientists associated with the distortions (inhomogeneities) of the magnetic field.

Ionized flow

Answering the question whether the Sun is a planet or a star, we can not say more about the flow of ionized particles emanating from the outer surface of the corona. In general, it consists of alpha particles, electrons and protons. Distributes the "solar wind" with a gradual decrease in density.

Separate this flow into two components: slow and fast. The first has a speed of about 400 km / s and a temperature of 1.4-1.6-106 K. The composition of the slow wind is close to the composition of the corona. The fast flow has a temperature of 8-105 K and a velocity of about 750 km / s. Its composition is close to the substance of the photosphere. A fast solar wind is more constant than a slow one. The latter differs by twice the density. In a slow ionized stream, the structure is more complex than in a fast solar wind. In addition, there are regions of turbulence in it.