by Anthony Barreiro » Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:00 pm
Psnarf wrote:It is so convenient having a star close enough to study in such detail. Magnetic coronal loops, a coronal hole so close you can peek inside (using a satellite from a safe distance), can't see that stuff on other stars. It staggers my imagination to know that the loops are only visible in the ultraviolet frequencies. Multiply ionized iron at two million degrees Kelvin formed by the fusion of silicon?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pldove/716 ... otostream/
I've read that the layers of elements from fusion just before supernovae starts with iron at the center from silicon fusion, silicon from magnesium fusion, magnesium from neon fusion, neon from oxygen fusion, oxygen from carbon fusion which is from helium fusion, with hydrogen at the outermost layer. I did not know that there was iron near the surface, thought the magnetic lines of force were generated from the motion of electrons. The presence of iron suggests there is Si, Mg, Ne, O, and C in there somewhere, unless it is the product of fission reactions. I learn a lot at apod.com, particularly how vast there is yet to learn.
The Sun is a
Population I star. That means old Sol is a member of the most recent population of stars and contains small amounts of elements heavier than Hydrogen and Helium that were formed in earlier Population II stars, some of which went supernova before he was born. He's a middle-aged main-sequence star, fusing Hydrogen into Helium, nothing more exotic happening yet. 71% Hydrogen, 27% Helium, 1% Oxygen, 0.4% Carbon, and a mere sprinkling of
all the other elements.
This is a truly awesome picture. Watching this transit of Venus from a beach on O'ahu is a cherished memory, although it didn't appear quite so psychedelic. Maybe I didn't take enough of the right kinds of drugs.
Like many other deities, the Sun is best admired from the right distance.
[quote="Psnarf"]It is so convenient having a star close enough to study in such detail. Magnetic coronal loops, a coronal hole so close you can peek inside (using a satellite from a safe distance), can't see that stuff on other stars. It staggers my imagination to know that the loops are only visible in the ultraviolet frequencies. Multiply ionized iron at two million degrees Kelvin formed by the fusion of silicon?
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/pldove/7160476017/sizes/k/in/photostream/[/url]
I've read that the layers of elements from fusion just before supernovae starts with iron at the center from silicon fusion, silicon from magnesium fusion, magnesium from neon fusion, neon from oxygen fusion, oxygen from carbon fusion which is from helium fusion, with hydrogen at the outermost layer. I did not know that there was iron near the surface, thought the magnetic lines of force were generated from the motion of electrons. The presence of iron suggests there is Si, Mg, Ne, O, and C in there somewhere, unless it is the product of fission reactions. I learn a lot at apod.com, particularly how vast there is yet to learn.[/quote]
The Sun is a [url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/starlog/pop12.html]Population I star[/url]. That means old Sol is a member of the most recent population of stars and contains small amounts of elements heavier than Hydrogen and Helium that were formed in earlier Population II stars, some of which went supernova before he was born. He's a middle-aged main-sequence star, fusing Hydrogen into Helium, nothing more exotic happening yet. 71% Hydrogen, 27% Helium, 1% Oxygen, 0.4% Carbon, and a mere sprinkling of [url=http://chemistry.about.com/od/geochemistry/a/sunelements.htm]all the other elements[/url].
This is a truly awesome picture. Watching this transit of Venus from a beach on O'ahu is a cherished memory, although it didn't appear quite so psychedelic. Maybe I didn't take enough of the right kinds of drugs.
Like many other deities, the Sun is best admired from the right distance.