upward in the bright cell centers and downward around the darker edges.
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Two pieces of evidence for solar convection are the presence of granules on the solar surface, which are small convection cells visible in the photosphere, and solar oscillations caused by the motion of convection currents beneath the surface, which can be measured through helioseismology.
The grainieness is caused by convective cells at the sun's sufrace. Hooter material rises up at the centers of these "grains" (called granules) while less hot material sinks around their edges. Each granule is several hundred miles across.
The bubbling characteristic of the photosphere is called solar granulation. These granules are caused by the convective motion of plasma beneath the surface of the Sun, creating cells of rising hot plasma and sinking cooler plasma that appear as granules on the photosphere.
The surface of the sun is not actually grainy but i will give you a little insight into why it looks like that. If you have ever lit a large fire and let is burn down a little, when you look at the embers or deeper into the fire, you can see different colours, ranging from white through yellow, orange, red to black with varying degrees and shades. The Sun is similar to this but on a much more massive scale, when a snap shot is taken its looks grainy because of all the variations, but if you saw a motions movie of the suns surface it is an undulating mass of colours.Look at the related source videos and links below for comparison.
Granules and supergranules are both structures found on the surface of the Sun, primarily related to solar convection. They are formed by the convective motions of plasma in the Sun's outer layer, with granules being smaller, typically about 1,000 kilometers in diameter, while supergranules are larger, measuring around 30,000 kilometers across. Both exhibit similar patterns of rising and sinking material, contributing to the dynamics of solar activity and influencing solar phenomena. Their study helps scientists understand solar processes and the Sun's overall behavior.
b
Two pieces of evidence for solar convection are the presence of granules on the solar surface, which are small convection cells visible in the photosphere, and solar oscillations caused by the motion of convection currents beneath the surface, which can be measured through helioseismology.
The grainieness is caused by convective cells at the sun's sufrace. Hooter material rises up at the centers of these "grains" (called granules) while less hot material sinks around their edges. Each granule is several hundred miles across.
The bubbling characteristic of the photosphere is called solar granulation. These granules are caused by the convective motion of plasma beneath the surface of the Sun, creating cells of rising hot plasma and sinking cooler plasma that appear as granules on the photosphere.
The surface of the sun is not actually grainy but i will give you a little insight into why it looks like that. If you have ever lit a large fire and let is burn down a little, when you look at the embers or deeper into the fire, you can see different colours, ranging from white through yellow, orange, red to black with varying degrees and shades. The Sun is similar to this but on a much more massive scale, when a snap shot is taken its looks grainy because of all the variations, but if you saw a motions movie of the suns surface it is an undulating mass of colours.Look at the related source videos and links below for comparison.
A solar granule is typically around 1,500 kilometers (about 930 miles) in diameter. These granules are the tops of convective cells in the solar surface where hot plasma rises and cool plasma sinks, creating the granular pattern seen on the Sun's photosphere.
Churning Motions
Granulation on the surface of the Sun is caused by convection currents carrying hot plasma from the interior to the surface. These rising currents of hot plasma create bright cells of gas at the surface, which appear as granules. The motion of these granules is evidence of the convective nature of the Sun's outer layers.
The sun's surface has a grainy texture due to the presence of convection cells known as granules. These granules, which are typically about 1,000 kilometers in diameter, form as hot plasma rises to the surface, cools, and then sinks back down, creating a pattern of bright and dark areas. This process is driven by the sun's turbulent convection zone, where energy is transferred from the interior to the surface. The granulation effect is a key feature of solar dynamics and contributes to the sun's overall appearance.
The surface of the sun, known as the photosphere, has an average temperature of about 5,500 degrees Celsius and is covered in granules caused by convection currents. It also exhibits features like sunspots, faculae, and solar flares.
The subsurface flow layer of the Sun, often referred to as the solar convection zone, is a region located just beneath the solar surface where convective motions occur. In this layer, hot plasma rises toward the surface, cools, and then sinks back down, creating a turbulent flow pattern. This convective activity is crucial for generating the Sun's magnetic field and contributes to solar phenomena such as sunspots and solar flares. The subsurface flow is typically found between about 200,000 kilometers and the surface of the Sun.