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What!layer!of!the!Sun!did!a!
solar!eclipse!help!us!discover!
was!there?!pp.!5!
What!is!a!spicule?!pp.!7!

What!makes!the!Sun!essential!
for!life?!pp.!10!

Author!!Haley!Smith!
11.10.2014!
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Overview:!
Overview:

Physical!Characteristics!
-Physical
Characteristics
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- Appearance
Appearance!of!the!Sun!
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-Effect
on Earth
Location!of!the!Sun!
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-Location
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Impact!on!Earth!

-Importance
for Life
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Importance!for!Life!

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This!beautiful,!enormous!ball!of!fiery!gas!that!
has!been!observed!and!worshiped!by!mankind!
for!ages!and!is!essential!for!life!is!better!known!
as!the!sun.!What!is!it!about!this!particular!star!
that!makes!it!so!relevant!and!essential!for!our!
daily!lives?!Buckle!your!seatbelts!and!prepare!
for!takeoff!because!throughout!this!chapter!we!
are!going!to!take!a!trip!through!space!to!better!
understand!and!explore!the!physical!
characteristics!of!the!sun,!how!we!observe!it!on!
Earth,!the!effect!the!Sun!has!on!us!and!what!
makes!it!so!essential!for!life,!as!well!as!the!
location!and!relation!of!the!Sun!to!other!stars,!
planets!and!galaxies.!

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Physical!Characteristics!

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Overview/TEKS:Light&&
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(K.6A,!1.6A,!3.6A)!
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Heat&&
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Composition&&
(3.8B)!

Gravity&&

(6.11B)!
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Central&in&Solar&

System&
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(3.8C,!3.8D,!6.11A,!8.8D)!
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Appearance!

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Overview/TEKS:-

Appearance&

(K.8C,!1.8B)!

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The!sun!is!constantly!active!and!the!appearance!is!continually!changing.!One!of!the!easiest!
abnormalities!on!the!Sun!to!notice!is!sunspots.!Similar!to!a!campfire,!there!are!some!spots!
on!the!sun!that!are!hotter!and!some!spots!that!are!cooler!and!dont!give!off!as!much!light.1!
On!earth,!these!spots!look!darker!than!the!surrounding!areas!on!the!Sun,!thus!they!are!
called!sunspots.!Although!scientists!are!not!certain!what!cause!sunspots,!they!seem!to!be!
affected!by!the!magnetic!activity!on!the!Sun.7!Every!two!years!or!so,!the!magnetic!activity!
on!the!Sun!seems!to!peak,!At!that!time,!many!more!sunspots!are!visible.7!The!average!
temperature!of!the!Sun!is!5480oC!in!comparison!to!the!average!temperature!inside!a!
sunspot,!a!mere!4000oC.1!The!size!of!sunspots!vary.!Some!are!mere!dots,!while!others!are!
larger!even!than!the!earth.!(see!figure!2.1).!As!well,!as!you!can!see!from!figure!2.1,!the!
inner!part!of!the!sunspot!is!called!the!umbra,!where!the!outer!edge!is!called!the!
penumbra.!!

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! Some!more!abnormalities!of!the!sun!are!flares-and!prominences.!These!are!some!of!the!
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most!spectacular!events!on!the!Sun.!Prominences!involve!millions!of!tons!of!hot!glowing!
gas!that!is!blasted!hundreds!of!thousands!of!miles!upward!and!forms!archZshaped!ribbons!
corresponding!to!the!suns!magnetic!field!(see!figure!2.2).7!Flares!are!similar!as!they!are!
powerful!explosions!that!shoot!long!streams!of!electrically!charged!particles!into!space.7!!

! !See!Figure!2.2.!Again!notice!the!massive!size!of!
! this!prominence!as!compared!to!the!size!of!the!
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earth.!The!main!difference!between!prominences!
and!flares!is!the!size.!Prominences!are!larger,!
while!flares!tend!to!be!less!spectacular.1!As!well,!
flares!affect!earth!more!directly.!While!flares!are!
active,!they!cause!disturbances!in!radio!reception!
and!affect!earths!magnetic!field.1!So!next!time!
you!cant!get!that!radio!station!you!want!to!listen!
to,!you!may!have!the!Sun!to!blame.!!
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Finally,!one!of!the!more!subtle!abnormalities!of!the!Sun!is!spicules.!Spicules!are!sun!storms!
that!are!shaped!like!spikes!that!blast!up!into!the!suns!atmosphere.7!They!can!blast!
thousands!of!miles!up!and!consist!of!electrically!charged!particles,!similar!to!flares.!

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So!what!exactly!is!a!solar-eclipse?!We!have!all!seen!the!picture!of!what!
appears!at!first!glance!to!be!a!black!sun,!but!what!factors!create!one?!A!
solar!eclipse!occurs!when!the!moon!and!the!Sun!line!up!so!that!when!
viewed!from!a!specific!spot!on!the!earth,!the!Sun!is!completely!eclipsed,!
or!hidden.!There!are!also!partial!eclipses!where!the!moon!only!eclipses!
part!of!the!Sun.!How!can!this!be,!you!might!ask,!as!the!Sun!is!thousands!of!
times!bigger!than!the!moon?!This!phenomenon!takes!place!because!the!
moon!is!closer!to!the!earth!than!the!Sun,!the!exact!amount!that!the!size!
of!the!Sun!and!moon!appear!identical.7!

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Affect!on!Earth!

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Overview/TEKS:Day/Night&&

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(K.8B,!5.8C,!6.11A,!8.7A)!

Seasons&
(8.7A)!
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The!Sun!affects!us!in!more!ways!than!we!can!imagine.!
From!determining!what!we!should!wear!when!walking!
outside,!to!affecting!peoples!sleep!habits!and!patterns,!the!
way!you!live!your!life!is!connected!to!the!Sun.!Some!of!the!
main!ways!that!the!Sun!affects!the!Earth!is!day!and!night!
and!seasons.!!

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!Why!are!some!hours!of!our!day!bright,!and!some!very!dark?!The!very!essence!of!day!and!
! night!is!determined!primarily!by!the!Sun.!As!the!earth!revolves!around!the!Sun!on!a!24!
hour!cycle,!whichever!side!is!facing!the!Sun!has!day,!and!the!side!facing!away!from!the!Sun!
! has!night(see!figure!3.1).!The!earth!rotates!on!an!axis!and!it!is!this!rotation!that!
determines!night!and!day.!As!well,!this!rotation!of!the!earth!causes!the!apparent!moving!
! of!the!Sun!across!the!sky.!When!in!fact,!the!Sun!is!not!moving,!but!rather!the!earth!is.!

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!Similar!to!day!and!night,!seasons!are!also!determined!by!the!Sun.!As!the!earth!rotates!
around!the!Sun,!different!parts!of!the!earth!get!closer!to!and!farther!from!the!Sun!(see!
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figure!3.2).!
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This!rotation!around!the!Sun!puts!the!earth!at!different!distances!from!the!Sun!and!thus!
! some!parts!are!closer,!some!are!farther.!!The!tilt!of!the!Earth!caused!varied!seasons!around!
the!earth.!Thus,!in!China!they!might!be!experiencing!winter,!but!in!the!United!States!it!might!
! be!summer.!The!Sun!affects!the!earth!in!a!multitude!of!ways,!a!couple!of!them!are!the!
day/night!cycle!and!the!cycle!of!the!seasons.!
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Importance!for!Life!

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Overview/TEKS:-

Water&Cycle&
(3.8B,!4.8B,!5.8B,!8.10B))!

Producers&&
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(4.9A,!5.9B,!7.5A))!

(5.7C,!5.6A)!

Energy&
Proximity&of&Sun&

(6.9A,!7.9A)!

Believe!it!or!not,!the!Sun!is!incredibly!important!for!life.!
Life,!as!we!know!it!on!earth!today,!is!dependent!on!the!Sun!
in!a!multitude!of!ways.!Some!of!the!ways!that!the!Sun!is!
lifeZgiving!on!earth!is!its!participation!in!the!water!cycle,!
the!way!it!supports!every!living!thing!by!feeding!producers,!
the!energy!which!can!be!harvested!from!it,!and!its!
distance!from!the!earth!which!is!the!exact!distance!for!life!
to!be!able!to!exist.!Throughout!this!chapter!we!will!
examine!these!many!amazing!factors!that!support!the!
existence!of!life!on!our!planet.!

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Figure!4.1!The!water-cycle!consists!of!evaporation,!condensation,!transpiration,!precipitation,!and!surface!
run!off.!All!of!these!steps!are!equally!essential,!and!without!the!Sun,!evaporation!would!be!impossible.!

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Although!at!first!glance!the!water-cycle!appears!be!about!water,!without!the!Sun,!the!
whole!water!cycle!would!not!exist.!Earths!water-cycle!is!the!process!by!which!the!water!
supply!is!continuously!recycled!as!the!water!molecules!continuously!move!from!location!to!
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location.4!This!process!is!driven!primarily!by!heat!and!light!energy!from!the!Sun.!This!solar!
energy!drives!the!cycle!by!evaporating!water!from!the!oceans,!lakes,!rivers!and!even!the!
soil.4!Without!the!sun,!the!water!would!not!ever!evaporate!and!form!clouds!and!
eventually!all!the!soil!and!thus!all!the!plants!would!dry!up!and!die.!Thus,!because!the!
water!cycle!is!absolutely!essential!for!life!on!earth,!the!Suns!participation!in!this!process!is!
equally!essential.!!
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! Living!things!are!classified!into!three!different!categories!based!on!what!they!eat:!
producers,!consumers!and!decomposers.!Producers-use!the!light!energy!from!the!Sun!

! along!with!other!things!such!as!water,!to!create!their!own!food.!Producers!are!primarily!
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plants.!Consumers-are!divided!into!three!groups:!herbivores,!carnivores!and!omnivores.!
Herbivores!eat!primarily!plants,!or!producers.!Carnivores!eat!primarily!other!consumers,!
and!omnivores!eat!a!mix!of!both!producers!and!consumers.!We!are!omnivores,!we!eat!
both!plants!and!meat.!Finally,!decomposers!break!down!dead!producers!and!consumers.!
An!example!of!a!decomposer!is!a!mushroom!or!earthworm.!!

! That!being!said,!if!you!look!at!a!food!chain,!it!becomes!obvious!that!without!producers,!
every!other!living!thing,!whether!they!eat!producers!directly!or!indirectly,!would!die.!And!

! the!only!way!producers!dont!die!is!because!of!the!Sun.!So!ultimately,!every!living!thing!is!
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dependent!every!day!on!the!Sun!for!their!food.!As!illustrated!in!figure!4.2,!without!the!Sun!
there!would!be!no!life!on!earth.!

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! Apart!from!the!essentiality!of!the!Sun!for!our!earth,!there!are!many!ways!that!we!use!the!
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Suns!energy!in!our!daily!lives.!The!Suns!solar!energy!can!be!harvested!as!an!alternative!
energy!source!instead!of!oil.!Solar-panels!are!the!means!by!which!the!solar!energy!of!the!
Sun!is!harvested!(see!figure!4.3).!!
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Read!some!of!the!ways!that!thermal!energy!is!transferred!above.!Make!a!list!of!all!the!ways!that!

! you!see!convection,!conduction!and!radiation!in!your!daily!life.!Do!most!of!them!relate!back!to!
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the!Sun?!Why!or!why!not?!!
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Figure!4.5!The!location!of!the!Sun,!a!medium!sized!star!within!our!solar!system,!
closer!to!the!Earth!than!any!other!star,!and!our!location!in!the!galaxy,!makes!
life!possible!on!Earth.!(Image!#7)!

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In!short,!we!have!looked!at!many!ways!that!the!Sun!is!important!to!us!and!
the!many!characteristics!of!the!Sun.!God!has!truly!granted!us!a!gift!in!our!
Sun,!and!if!it!wasnt!for!the!exact!size,!and!location,!life!as!we!know!it!
today,!couldnt!exist!on!earth.!!
The!Sun!has!many!physical!characteristics!that!make!it!truly!unique.!The!
light!and!heat!energy!that!are!produced!by!the!Sun!through!transmutation!
serve!many!purposes.!As!well,!the!Sun!is!composed!of!gas!and!is!similarly!
characteristic!to!other!stars,!an!average!sized!star.!Because!of!the!size!of!
the!Sun!compared!to!the!other!planets,!however,!it!has!an!enormous!
amount!of!gravitational!pull!in!our!solar!system!and!thus!is!situated!at!the!
center!of!the!solar!system.!!
Although!the!Sun!appears!uniform,!there!are!actually!many!abnormalities.!
Solar!flares!and!prominences!are!rather!spectacular!displays!and!sunspots!
are!cooler!areas!on!the!Suns!photosphere.!The!different!layers!of!the!Sun!
are!the!corona,!photosphere!and!the!chromosphere.!!
Every!day!as!we!observe!the!Sun!apparently!rise!and!fall!in!the!sky!and!
every!time!the!seasons!change,!we!witness!some!of!the!affects!of!the!Sun!
on!our!earth.!Because!the!earth!rotates!on!a!24!hour!cycle,!we!have!a!day!
and!night.!As!well,!the!tilt!of!the!earth!combined!with!the!rotation!of!the!
earth!around!the!Sun!accounts!for!seasons.!
The!Sun,!we!have!seen,!is!incredibly!essential!for!the!existence!of!life.!
Without!the!Sun!we!would!have!no!water!cycle,!no!means!of!energy,!and!a!
cold,!freezing!planet.!We!are!eternally!dependent!on!the!Sun!and!it!is!the!
Sun!that!ultimately!gives!us!energy!and!life.!

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Nov.!2014.!<https://marketingessentialsblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/theZfourZseasonsZinZbusinessZ
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<http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/waterZcycle>.!
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<http://turutururoom11.blogspot.com/2012/08/termZ3.html>.!
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<http://scied.ucar.edu/sunZregions>.!
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<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Giant_prominence_on_the_sun_erupted.jpg>.!
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<http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/deathZfromZtheZskiesZhowZourZsolarZsystemZwillZdie/>.!

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14.!Seasons.!Digital!image.!The&Seasons&of&the&Year.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!2!Nov.!2014.!
<http://www.indepthinfo.com/seasons/>.!
15.&Solar&Eclipse&of&August&1st.!Digital!image.!Solar&Eclipse.!Wikipedia,!n.d.!Web.!28!Oct.!2014.!
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_1,_2008>.!
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18.!Who!is!Nicolaus!Copernicus.!Digital!image.!Wikipedia.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!7!Nov.!2014.!
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus>.!
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