Author: iamdefinitory

TURBULENCE – The chaotic movement of plasma in the convective zone, contributing to the Sun’s overall heat transfer.

SUN’S ENERGY BALANCE – The equilibrium between the energy the Sun produces through fusion and the energy it radiates into space.

CONVECTION CELLS – Large-scale circulation patterns in the Sun’s convective zone that transfer heat from the interior to the surface.

RADIATIVE DIFFUSION – The slow process by which photons are absorbed and re-emitted by particles, transferring energy through the Sun’s radiative zone.

GAMMA RAYS – High-energy photons produced during nuclear fusion reactions in the Sun’s core.

SOLAR NEUTRINOS – Nearly massless particles produced in the Sun’s core during nuclear fusion, detected on Earth to study the Sun’s energy production.

GRAVITATIONAL CONTRACTION – The process by which a star generates energy through the gradual shrinking of its core, contributing to its heat before nuclear fusion begins.

HELIUM BURNING – The process in which helium nuclei fuse to form heavier elements, which occurs in stars more massive than the Sun during later stages of their life cycle.

EINSTEIN’S MASS-ENERGY EQUIVALENCE – The principle that energy (E) is equal to mass (m) times the speed of light squared (c²), explaining how mass is converted into energy in the Sun.

SOLAR LUMINOSITY – The total amount of energy emitted by the Sun per second, about 3.8 × 10²⁶ watts.