B. Layer of the Sun S Atmosphere That Has a Reddish Glow

Name Date Class

The Sun

7. solar flare

8. core

9. chromosphere

10. sunspot

11. corona

12. nuclear fusion

13. photosphere

14. solar wind

15. convection zone

a. layer of the sun’s atmosphere that gives off visible
light

b. layer of the sun’s atmosphere that has a reddish glow

c. layer of the sun’s atmosphere that looks like a halo
during an eclipse

d. areas of gas on the sun’s surface that are cooler than
the areas around them

e. eruptions that occur when the loops in sunspot
regions suddenly connect

f. stream of electrical particles from the sun

g. center of the sun

h. outermost layer of the sun’s interior

i. joining of hydrogen atoms to form helium

93D

Name Date Class

The Sun

Sunspot Clues

Although sunspots were once unexplained blemishes on the sun’s surface, their behavior has helped
solve some of the sun’s mysteries. One of these mysteries dealt with the rotation of the sun. Did it
rotate, as did other objects in the solar system? And, if it did rotate, what was its period of rotation?
Astronomers helped answer these questions by observing the behavior of sunspots.

1. How have astronomers inferred that the sun rotates?

2. What direction does the sun rotate?

3. Sunspots at the equator take 26.9 days to move once around the sun.
What can you infer about how long sunspots A and B take to move
around the sun, compare to sunspot C, which is on the equator?

4. Why do astronomers say that the sun rotates once every
27 to 31 days, rather than give an exact number?

93E

Name Date Class

The Sun

Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.

1. Areas of gas on the sun’s surface that
are cooler than the gases around them
are called

a solar flares

b sunspots

C solar wind

d prominences

3. Huge loops of gas that link different
parts of sunspot regions are called

a solar flares

b supra-sunspots

C solar wind

d prominences

2. Large eruptions of gas from the sun
out into space are called

a solar flares

b sunspots

C solar wind

d prominences

4. The sun produces energy through

a fission

b fusion

C photovoltaic cells

d photosynthesis

Fill in the blank to complete each statement.

5. The sun’s layers, from innermost to outermost, are the core,
, and convection zone.

6. You see the when you look at an image of the sun.

7. You see the middle layer of the sun’s atmosphere, the , at the
start and end of a total eclipse.

8. The corona sends out a stream of charged particles called the
.

9. The solar wind can interact with Earth’s magnetic field to create powerful electric
currents that cause near the poles.

10. About three fourth’s of the sun’s mass is .

93F