Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
active region
|
A magnetic region on the solar surface that includes sunspots, prominences, flares, etc. (p. 131)
|
|
|
aurora
|
The glowing light display that results when a planet's magnetic field guides charged particles toward the north and south magnetic poles, where they strike the upper atmosphere and excite atoms to emit photons. (p. 137)
|
|
|
Babcock model
|
A model of the sun's magnetic cycle in which the differential rotation of the sun winds up and tangles the solar magnetic field in a 22-year cycle. This is thought to be responsible for the 11-year sunspot cycle. (p. 133)
|
|
|
convection
|
Circulation in a fluid driven by heat. Hot material rises and cool material sinks. (p. 125)
|
|
|
coronal hole
|
An area of the solar surface that is dark at X-ray wavelengths. Thought to be associated with divergent magnetic fields and the source of the solar wind. (p. 137)
|
|
|
coronal mass ejection (CME)
|
Matter ejected from the sun's corona in powerful surges guided by magnetic fields. (p. 137)
|
|
|
Coulomb barrier
|
The electrostatic force of repulsion between bodies of like charge. Commonly applied to atomic nuclei. (p. 138)
|
|
|
deuterium
|
An isotope of hydrogen in which the nucleus contains a proton and a neutron. (p. 139)
|
|
|
differential rotation
|
The rotation of a body in which different parts of the body have different periods of rotation. This is true of the sun, the Jovian planets, and the disk of the galaxy. (p. 132)
|
|
|
dynamo effect
|
The process by which a rotating, convecting body of conducting matter, such as Earth's core, can generate a magnetic field. (p. 132)
|
|
|
filament
|
A solar prominence seen from above silhouetted against the bright photosphere. (p. 126)
|
|
|
filtergram
|
A photograph (usually of the sun) taken in the light of a specific region of the spectrum - for example, an H-alpha filtergram. (p. 126)
|
|
|
flare
|
A violent eruption on the sun's surface. (p. 137)
|
|
|
granulation
|
The fine structure of bright grains covering the sun's surface. (p. 125)
|
|
|
helioseismology
|
The study of the interior of the sun by the analysis of its modes of vibration. (p. 128)
|
|
|
magnetic carpet
|
The network of small magnetic loops that covers the solar surface. (p. 127)
|
|
|
Maunder butterfly diagram
|
A graph showing the latitude of sunspots versus time. First plotted by W. W. Maunder in 1904. (p. 130)
|
|
|
Maunder minimum
|
A period of less numerous sunspots and other solar activity between 1645 and 1715. (p. 131)
|
|
|
neutrino
|
A neutral, massless atomic particle that travels at or nearly at the speed of light. (p. 139)
|
|
|
nuclear fission
|
Reactions that break the nuclei of atoms into fragments. (p. 135)
|
|
|
nuclear fusion
|
Reactions that join the nuclei of atoms to form more massive nuclei. (p. 135)
|
|
|
proton-proton chain
|
A series of three nuclear reactions that builds a helium atom by adding together protons. The main energy source in the sun. (p. 139)
|
|
|
reconnection
|
On the sun, the merging of magnetic fields to release energy in the form of flares. (p. 137)
|
|
|
solar wind
|
Rapidly moving atoms and ions that escape from the solar corona and blow outward through the solar system. (p. 127)
|
|
|
spicule
|
A small, flamelike projection in the chromosphere of the sun. (p. 126)
|
|
|
strong force
|
One of the four forces of nature. The strong force binds protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei. (p. 135)
|
|
|
sunspot
|
Relatively dark spot on the sun that contains intense magnetic fields. (p. 124)
|
|
|
supergranule
|
Very large convective features in the sun's surface. (p. 127)
|
|
|
weak force
|
One of the four forces of nature. The weak force is responsible for some forms of radioactive decay. (p. 135)
|
|
|
Zeeman effect
|
The splitting of spectral lines into multiple components when the atoms are in a magnetic field. (p. 131)
|
