The Climate Machine: Energy from the Sun

The sun generates energy by nuclear fusion,  heating the surface and generating sustantial radiation at a frequency given by the Plank function for a body at 5800 oK.
Layers of the Sun include:
  • the photosphere - the visible radiating portion of the Sun
  • the chromosphere - the layer 15,000 km thick just above the photosphere
  • the solar corona - the outermost region of the Sun extending 100,000's of km above the chromosphere

The outer layers of the Sun (i.e. chromosphere and solar corona) do not significantly modify the visible and infrared regions of the blackbody spectrum.

The solar wind is the outflow of energetic particles (mainly ionized hydrogen and helium atoms) from the Sun. This "wind" interacts with the Earth's magnetic field (magnetosphere) which extends 10,000's of kilometers from the Earth surface.

part II