Also, knowledge about the internal properties of the Sun is important for the understanding of solar atmospheric phenomena, including the solar magnetic cycle. Here I provide a brief overview of the theory of stellar structure and evolution, including the physical processes and parameters that are involved.
The Sun is the unique star in our Solar System, providing light energy to all solar system’s planets. The structure of the Sun is represented in different spherical layers that are difficult to determine with a physical boundary. The different layers or parts of the Sun are determined by the physical function they perform.
The source of the vast amounts of solar energy produced by the sun is through thermo-nuclear reactions. The high pressures and temperatures within the sun allow for nuclear fusion to take place, a process which converts the hydrogen in the sun to helium with the release of a large amount of energy.
The animation below describes the detailed structure of the Sun: The sun’s core is made up of a very hot and dense mass of atomic nuclei and electrons.
It is more accurate to think of the Sun’s boundary as extending far out into the solar system, well beyond Earth. In studying the structure of the Sun, solar physicists divide it into four domains: the interior, the surface atmospheres, the inner corona, and the outer corona.
The different layers or parts of the Sun are determined by the physical function they perform. Currently, astrophysics has a model of the solar structure made up of six layers divided into two groups: the inner and outer layers of the Sun.