Solar Radiation

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

HomeSolar Wind - The Magnetosphere - The Aurora - Bibliography