| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Milky way | the galaxy that contains our solar system; visible as a broad band of stars across the night sky. |
| electromagnetic waves | a form of energy that can be transmitted through a vacuum. its spectrum contains radio waves, infrared waves, visible light waves, ultraviolet waves, x-rays, and gamma rays. |
| neutrino | tiny particles that apparently travel at the speed of light and can easily penetrate ordinary matter light-years in thickness. |
| wavelength | the horizontal distance from one wave crest to the next wave crest. |
| spectroscope | an instrument used to identify the elements in an incandescent substance by separating and measured the component wavelengths. |
| spectrum | a distribution of electromagnets energies arranged in order of wavelengths |
| diffraction grating | a plate of transparent material having thousands of microscopic parallel lines ruled or molded onto its surface. |
| plasma | the suns surface |
| ionized | matter that cannot be classified as solid, liquid, or gas. |
| photosphere | the visible surface of the sun |
| granules | the suns surface is not plain and featureless; rather it is divided into relatively small cells |
| sunspots | small dark ares on the sun |
| limb | the edge of the disk of a planet, the sun, or the moon. |
| umbra | a sunspot usually has two parts; a dark inner portion |
| penumbra | the dark outer portion |
| solar flare | at times there are severe storms on the sun |
| radiation | the heat or light emitted by a glowing object. Also, the particles and rays emitted by a radioactive material. |
| chromosphere | the layer of gases that forms the innermost layer of the sun's atmosphere. |
| corona | the extremely hot, low-density, and extensive outer portion of the suns atmosphere that become the solar wind. |
| coronagraph | the instrument used to observe the corona of the sun by creating an artificial eclipse. |
| spicule | a pointed jet of gasses from the top of the chromosphere extending into the corona. |
| facula | a large, bright, veined patch or spot in the sun's photosphere, usually near one or more sunspots. |
| solar wind | an extremely violent eruption on the surface of the sun resulting in intense emissions or ultraviolet radiation |
| prominence | an immense disturbance in the corona of the sun that may appear as a loop, a feathery structure, or an irregular mass rising from and falling back into the sun. |
| core | in general the central region of the interior of a celestial object. |
| radiative zone | the middle zone of the model of the sun's interior where thermal energy moves outward from the core by radiation. |
| photon | a packet of electroagnetic energy believed to be a discrete particle having zero mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. |
| pressure | the total amount of force exerted over a standard area, such as a square meter of suqare foot. |
| convetic zone | in the model of the sun's interior it is the outermost region composed of extremely hot plasms, where heat transfer from the radiative zone to the surface occurs by convection. |
| solar energy | in general refers to the energy received by the earth from the sun. it can also refer to all forms of energy obtainable from the sun, such as solar-generated electricity, solar heating,solar hot water, and so on. |
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