Stars & Beyond

The Sun

You may be asking yourself what a maze has to do with the Sun?  True, our sun is pretty AMAZING (little science humor), but that is not why I have shown you all this!  Our Sun is incredible in how many variances are within its layers, the chemical reactions that occur within it, and that it is part of how we are able to be human beings; existing on Earth and ALIVE! One of the most fascinating parts for me about the Sun is that in its radiation zone, tiny photons of light bounces around magnetic fields before they escape to the outer convection zone and eventually make their way to Earth. In fact, it is estimated currently that it takes about 170,000 years for the light in this maze to actually reach Earth.  When we lay on a beach, enjoying the warmth of sunshine while relaxing, we are soaking in some really old rays. The sun actually looses tons of energy via millions of degrees of temperature loss before we ever notice whats happened.  In reality, the  Sun is not that efficient, but good thing or we would never be able to live as we know it. 

Here is an extra insight on our favorite star! This is an example of what happens during solar storms, sometimes these coronal mass ejections can cause city wide blackouts. This video from NASA Goddard does have a dramatic soundtrack, but it only enhances the amazing behavior of our sun.