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Q: Glowing surface of the sun is known as:
  • A. lithosphere
  • B. photosphere
  • C. atmosphere
  • D. chromosphere
Correct Answer: Option B - The photosphere is the 'visible surface' of the Sun. The Sun is a giant ball of plasma, so it doesn't have a distinct, solid surface like Earth. Sunlight that is created by nuclear fusion in the Sun's core (center) gradually works it's way outward, colliding over and over with atoms in the Sun's interior. After a million-year journey, the sunlight finally reaches a level where the plasma is less dense and photons stop running into atoms and can finally escape into space. This level is what we see as the 'glowing surface' of the Sun - the photosphere. It has a temperature of 6000ºC. At some spots in the photosphere some colours are absorbed and black lines occur there. The lines are called "Fraunhofer" lines. Sun spots are also seen in the photosphere.
B. The photosphere is the 'visible surface' of the Sun. The Sun is a giant ball of plasma, so it doesn't have a distinct, solid surface like Earth. Sunlight that is created by nuclear fusion in the Sun's core (center) gradually works it's way outward, colliding over and over with atoms in the Sun's interior. After a million-year journey, the sunlight finally reaches a level where the plasma is less dense and photons stop running into atoms and can finally escape into space. This level is what we see as the 'glowing surface' of the Sun - the photosphere. It has a temperature of 6000ºC. At some spots in the photosphere some colours are absorbed and black lines occur there. The lines are called "Fraunhofer" lines. Sun spots are also seen in the photosphere.

Explanations:

The photosphere is the 'visible surface' of the Sun. The Sun is a giant ball of plasma, so it doesn't have a distinct, solid surface like Earth. Sunlight that is created by nuclear fusion in the Sun's core (center) gradually works it's way outward, colliding over and over with atoms in the Sun's interior. After a million-year journey, the sunlight finally reaches a level where the plasma is less dense and photons stop running into atoms and can finally escape into space. This level is what we see as the 'glowing surface' of the Sun - the photosphere. It has a temperature of 6000ºC. At some spots in the photosphere some colours are absorbed and black lines occur there. The lines are called "Fraunhofer" lines. Sun spots are also seen in the photosphere.