AST-128intermediate

Solar Structure: Physical Mechanisms

The Sun is a self-gravitating sphere of hot plasma organized into layers defined by how energy is generated, transported, and emitted. Understanding solar structure explains where fusion occurs, why granulation appears on the photosphere, how energy reaches space, and why different solar-atmosphere layers dominate different wavelengths.

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intermediate45 minFact checked

Solar Structure: Physical Mechanisms

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AST-127Solar Structure: Structures & Vocabulary→

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AST-129Solar Structure: Observation, Measurement & Evidence→

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The Sun is a self-gravitating sphere of hot plasma organized into layers defined by how energy is generated, transported, and emitted.

supported

Gravity compresses the solar interior while gas and radiation pressure resist collapse, producing hydrostatic equilibrium.

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Solar models are constrained by the Sun's mass, radius, luminosity, composition, spectrum, and age.