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The temperature of the Sun's external layer (the photosphere) is about 6000 K. Why don't hydrogen atoms, the main component of the photosphere, leave the Sun's surface? |
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Answer» The escape velocity is `v = sqrt(2 gamma m_(o.)//R_(o.)) = 6.1 xx 10^5 m//s` It may be seen that the root-mean-square velocity is only 1/51 of the escape velocity. THEREFORE only a small fraction of the atoms whose SPEEDS are much greater than the average speed (SEE `xi` 25.2) can at any given time escape from the Sun.s gravitational field. They create what is called the solar wind. |
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