The
sun is constantly energy. This is the result of the
fusion of hydrogen atoms, which creates helium and copious
amounts of
energy. It primarily emits this energy as heat and
light. The emissions with wavelengths between 0.2 and 4.0 µm comprise
what is classified as solar radiation. Most of the
radiation released (~99%) has a wavelength that falls between
0.3 and 3.0 µm.
This radiation contains approximately 1370
watts/meter^2 of energy, though this falls to about 1000
watts/meter^2 after passing
through the earth's atmosphere. In the photosphere (where
light radiation effectively originates) temperatures reach as
high as
6000° Kelvin.
Further from the center of the sun, in the corona, the
temperature can exceed 1,000,000° Kelvin. Temperatures
this high allow for an infinitesimal amount of the sun's mass
to escape its orbit, in a process that causes the solar wind.
Solar flare recorded by NASA
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