What Are Convection Currents?
6. Solar Convection
In the 30% outermost layer of the sun, energy circulates through convection. This layer of the sun is made up of gases that come from nuclear actions within the core that are the source of the suns energy. It is referred to as the convective zone and is believed to take up more space in larger stars.
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Starting as hydrogen atoms that turn into helium under exposure to extreme heat, the gas moves outward via convection. Sunspots are the emergence of magnetic fields created by convection movements. Much like steam that escapes when boiling water, solar energy that reaches Earth escapes from the outermost thin layer of the sun called the photosphere.
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