| A | B |
|---|
| absorption spectrum | a continuous spectrum produced when white light is passed through a cool gas under low pressure; The gas absorbs selected wavelengths of light, and the spectrum looks like it has dark lines superimposed. |
| aurora | a bright display of ever-changing light caused by solar radiation interacting with the upper atmosphere in the region of the poles |
| chromatic aberration | the property of a lens whereby light of different colors is focused at different places |
| chromosphere | the first layer of the solar atmosphere found directly above the photosphere |
| continuous spectrum | an uninterrupted band of light emitted by an incandescent solid, liquid, or gas under pressure |
| corona | the outer weak layer of the solar atmosphere |
| Doppler effect | the apparent change in frequency of electromagnetic or sound waves caused by the relative motions of the source and the observer |
| electromagnetic spectrum | the arrangement of electromagnetic radiation according to wavelength |
| emission spectrum | a series of bright lines of particular wavelengths produced by a hot gas under low pressure |
| nuclear fusion | the way in which the sun produces energy; Nuclear fusion occurs when less massive nuclei combine into more massive nuclei, releasing tremendous amounts of energy. |
| photon | a small packet of light energy |
| photosphere | the region of the sun that radiates energy to space; the visible surface of the sun |
| prominence | a concentration of gases above the solar surface that appears as a bright archlike structure |
| radio telescope | a telescope designed to make observations in radio wavelengths |
| reflecting telescope | a telescope that concentrates light from distant objects by using a concave mirror |
| refracting telescope | a telescope that uses a lens to bend and concentrate the light from distant objects |
| solar flare | a sudden and tremendous eruption in the solar chromosphere |
| solar wind | streams of protons and electrons ejected at high speed from the solar corona |
| spectroscopy | the study of the properties of light that depend on wavelength |
| sunspot | a dark spot on the sun, which is cool by contrast to the surrounding photosphere |
