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Led by Galileo Galilei
Module 10 of Edexcel GCSE Astronomy. Led by Galileo Galilei in his capacity as the systematic observer of sunspots whose 1612 work ended the doctrine of an immaculate Sun. The student moves from safe solar observation through the Sun's internal layers, the proton-proton chain, the use of sunspot data to determine rotation and the solar cycle, and the solar wind shaping the heliosphere.
Led by Galileo Galilei
The question
How does the student safely observe the Sun, what is its layered internal structure and how does fusion in the core ultimately produce sunlight at the surface, what do sunspots tell us about solar rotation and the eleven-year cycle, and how does the solar wind shape the heliosphere all the way to the heliopause? The spec asks the student to use telescopic projection and H-alpha filtering, name and locate the core, radiative zone, convective zone, photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, write down the proton-proton chain, derive solar rotation from sunspot motion, work with the solar cycle, account for the Sun's different appearance across the electromagnetic spectrum, and describe the nature, composition, and origin of the solar wind.
Outcome
the student can use both safe solar observation methods, describe the seven layers of the Sun's interior and atmosphere with their relative temperatures, write the proton-proton chain and state its energy yield, describe the structure and origin of sunspots, use sunspot data to derive the mean solar rotation period and identify the eleven-year solar cycle, account for the Sun's different appearance across the electromagnetic spectrum, and describe the nature, composition, and origin of the solar wind. *(Edexcel 1AS0 Paper 2 — Topic 10, spec points 10.1–10.10)*
Sub-units