Many of us are aware of an astonishing fact: the mass of the Sun is about 99% of the total mass of the solar system. This massive star is stunning for its size, mass, and incredible heat. Based on this, the question arises: what is the sun made of, and what is hidden in its depths?
It is not possible to study the sun directly from the inside, however, using the laws of physics, astronomical observations, and theoretical models, scientists have been able to understand its structure. This knowledge helps us better understand other stars that are similar to the Sun.
The central part of the Sun is its core, which can be imagined as having a radius of about 150-1750,000 km of spheres. It is here, at a depth of more than a million kilometers above the surface, that a powerful thermonuclear reaction takes place. The mass density of the solar core is high, about 150 tons per cubic meter, which is 66 times. The core temperature reached a shocking Kelvin temperature of 14 million degrees.
Interestingly, the core is the only place in the sun where energy is generated. This energy then travels to other layers of the star. The layer close to the core is the radiative transport zone, where the energy is transferred to the higher convection zone. Plasma cycles occur in this region, transferring heat to the photosphere, the lower layer of the Sun's atmosphere. Here, the substance cools and returns to the depths of the convection zone, where it heats up again and rises. The temperature of the radiative transmission zone varies between 7 and 2 million Kelvin, while the temperature of the convection zone drops to 6000 Kelvin.
An interesting fact is that if we could break down the sun into molecules, we would find that it is mainly composed of hydrogen (92% by volume) and helium (7%). In addition, the sun also contains other heavier elements such as iron, nickel, magnesium, chromium, carbon, sulfur, etc. We can say that the sun and other stars contain the elements of the entire periodic table.
The atmosphere of the Sun is more difficult to study than its internal structure. It consists of two main layers: the photosphere and the chromosphere. The photosphere is the deepest layer of the Sun's atmosphere, visible in the visible spectrum, and where sunspots are formed. This layer is relatively thin compared to the radius of the Sun, with a thickness of only 300 km. The temperature in the upper layer of the photosphere drops to 4400 degrees Kelvin.
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