Across
- 2. A device that takes light from a source and separates it by wavelength.
- 3. A period of 22 years in which the number of sunspots on the Sun changes regularly, and the Sun’s magnetic field reverses polarity.
- 7. Violent eruptions of particles and radiation from the surface of the Sun.
- 10. The combination of lightweight atomic nuclei into heavier nuclei, such as hydrogen fusing into helium. This process powers the Sun.
- 12. Stars that are fusing hydrogen atoms to form helium atoms in their cores. Most stars in the universe, including our Sun, are in this stage.
- 13. A region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing—not particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape it.
- 16. The center, or innermost section, of the Sun, where huge amounts of energy are created through nuclear fusion.
- 18. A very large, red star of high luminosity and low surface temperature that is in a late stage of evolution when it no longer has hydrogen in the core to fuel nuclear fusion.
- 20. The middle layer of the Sun's atmosphere, which usually gives off a reddish glow and is visible during a solar eclipse.
- 21. The middle section of the solar interior where energy generated by nuclear fusion in the core moves outward as electromagnetic radiation (photons).
- 23. The outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere.
- 24. A unique line for each chemical element that allows scientists to tell what something in space is made of by the light it gives off.
- 26. A very young star that is still gathering mass from its parent molecular cloud (Nebula). This is an unstable phase.
Down
- 1. The outermost layer of the Sun's interior where energy is transported by convection, and where light (photons) is created on the surface of this zone.
- 4. A state achieved by a star when the forces pushing outward (gas pressure/energy) and pulling inward (gravity) are equal.
- 5. Fountains and loops of glowing gas ejected from the photosphere, related to solar activity.
- 6. The innermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere and its visible surface, from which most of the light emitted by the Sun comes.
- 8. A small, very dense star that is formed when a low-mass star has exhausted all its central nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers as a planetary nebula.
- 9. A phenomenon where the waves tend to become longer or shorter when the source of a wave is moving.
- 11. The collapsed core of a massive supergiant star left behind after a supernova; it is extremely dense.
- 14. Occurs when an object is moving towards the observer in space; the light waves bunch up, resulting in a shorter wavelength closer to the blue end of the visible light spectrum.
- 15. Cooler areas on the surface of the photosphere that appear darker than the surrounding areas because they are areas of gas cooler than the gases around it.
- 17. A powerful and luminous stellar explosion; this is the last stage of a massive star’s life when the core collapses and results in a giant explosion.
- 18. Occurs when an object is moving away from the observer; the light waves stretch out, resulting in a longer wavelength closer to the red end of the visible light spectrum.
- 19. A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, often visible in the night sky, that collapses to form a new star (a "Star Nursery").
- 22. Nebula A ring-shaped nebula formed by an expanding shell of gas around an aging star; this occurs at the end of a low-mass Red Giant's life.
- 25. Gas (charged particles/ions) that flows outward from the Sun's corona at high speeds throughout the entire solar system.