Solar Layer Model
Solar Layer Model

This 3D model of the Sun shows five of six layers. From the center out, the three large interior layers of the Sun are (1) the core, (2) the radiative zone, and (3) the convective zone. The outer visible layers are (4) the photosphere, (5) the chromosphere, and (6) the outermost layer, the corona, which extends outward for more than 12 solar radii. In this model the corona is not shown but there are three coronal magnetic flux tubes that are shown. On the base, there are two hemispheres showing the relative size of Jupiter (~1/10 of the Sun) and the Earth (~1/107 of the Sun). The energy produced through fusion in the core powers the Sun and produces all of the heat and light that we receive here on Earth.