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Chapter 16: Problem 23

How do astronomers know that the temperature of the corona is so high?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Astronomers determine the temperature of the Sun's corona by studying the spectrum of light it emits, specifically its X-ray emissions, and comparing it with known spectra of different temperatures. The specific wavelengths of the emission spectrum enable astronomers to infer the temperature of the corona, which is found to be extremely high.

Step by step solution

01

Understand what the Corona is

The corona is the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere. It is made up of plasma and is significantly hotter than the sun's surface.
02

Discuss Techniques to Measure Temperature

Astronomers can't measure the temperature of the corona directly. Instead, they use indirect methods such as examining the spectrum of light it emits. The spectrum of a hot, dense object contains lines that correspond to the type and quantity of elements present, as well as their states. The corona emits a spectrum known as 'emission spectrum' which has bright lines against a dark background. From these bright emission lines, astronomers can determine the temperature of the corona.
03

Explaining the Emission Spectrum

In emission spectrum, the lines are created when hotter, lower-density gas lies above cooler, denser gas. The atoms in the hot gas have electrons that are excited to high energy levels. When these electrons drop down to lower energy levels, they emit light of specific wavelengths. By studying these wavelengths, astronomers can determine the temperature of the gas that emitted the light.
04

Conclusion

The extremely high temperatures of the corona cause it to emit light in the X-ray portion of the spectrum, which is a characteristic of highly ionized elements. From the wavelengths of these X-ray emissions, astronomers infer the corona's high temperature.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The moving images on a television set that uses a tube (as opposed to a LCD or plasma flat-screen TV) are made by a fastmoving electron beam that sweeps over the back of the screen. Explain why placing a strong magnet next to the screen distorts the picture. (Caution: Don't try this with your television! You can do permanent damage to your set.)

Describe the dangers in attempting to observe the Sun. How have astronomers learned to circumvent these observational problems?

The amount of visible light emitted by the Sun varies only a little over the 11-year sunspot cycle. But the amount of \(X\) rays emitted by the Sun can be 10 times greater at solar maximum than at solar minimum. Explain why these two types of radiation should be so different in their variability.

What is meant by the luminosity of the Sun?

Describe one explanation for why the corona has a higher temperature than the chromosphere.
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