Inside the Sun

The Sun has distinct layers, each with a different role. The core reaches 15 million degrees Celsius, where fusion happens. The radiative zone carries energy outward through photon collisions, and the convective zone above it churns like boiling water. The photosphere is the visible surface at roughly 5,500°C, yet the thin corona above it mysteriously reaches over a million degrees.

Dark patches called sunspots appear where intense magnetic fields suppress convection and cool the surface. They follow an 11-year cycle. At solar maximum, sunspots multiply and the Sun hurls charged particles toward Earth, creating auroras and sometimes disrupting satellites and power grids.