What does the inside of the sun look like?
1 Answer
Aug 1, 2016
The inside of the sun contains a convection zone, a radiative zone, and a core.
Explanation:
Core
- Encompasses 25% of the Sun's radius
- Temperature: 15 million degrees Kelvin
- Intense pressure caused by gravity inside core creates nuclear fission reactions (Responsible for 85% of Sun's energy)
Radiative Zone
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Accounts for 45% of Sun's radius
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Energy from core carried out by photons in here
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Photons travel 1 micron before being absorbed, re-emitted in infinite loop
Convection Zone
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Final 30% of Sun's radius
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Convection currents carry energy out to surface
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Convection currents are rising movements of hot gas next to falling movements of cool gas
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Photon takes 100,000-200,000 years to reach surface
