Comprehension Check 4.4, P. 204

How far is the sun from the earth?

93 million miles

What is the difference between absolute magnitude and apparent magnitude?

Absolute magnitude is the actual brightness of a star, or how much light the star produces. Apparent magnitude is the apparent brightness of a star as seen from the earth.

Which is brighter; a star with a magnitude of 0, a star with a magnitude of 1.5, or a star with a magnitude of 6?

The star with a magnitude of 0 is the brightest.

a group of two stars that circle around each other

binary star

the hot central part of the sun

core

the hottest region of the sun's atmosphere, extending hundreds of thousands of miles from the sun's surface

corona

unit used to measure great distances, such as the distances between the stars; equal to about 5.9 trillion miles

light year

the sun's visible surface

photosphere

huge loops of cooler gas erupting thousands of miles from the chromosphere that are suspended in space by the sun's magnetic field

prominences

tremendous bursts of energy caused by sudden changes in the sun's magnetic field

solar flares

a faint "wind" of high=speed gas particles that stream into space from the sun's corona

solar wind

dark patches on the sun's surface caused by the sun's magnet field

sunspots

the violent explosion of a star

supernova