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What Are the Types of Solar Energy Waves?

Our sun produces unimaginable amounts of energy. After years of careful study, much is now known about the types of wavelengths of the sun's output. Acoustic waves, electromagnetic radiation and gravity waves are all produced by the sun's internal processes.

Scientists are studying the sun with Earth-based instruments and orbiting satellites, which monitor the sun's behavior. Both the Hubble space telescope and the SOHO solar observatory are now in use doing solar research.
  1. Electromagnetic Radiation

    • Solar waves

      The energy radiated by the sun is sometimes called the electromagnetic spectrum. This spectrum of energy waves includes visible light, radio waves and gamma rays. Light you can see is divided into wavelengths called colors. According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research website Windows to the Universe, all the colors of light combined together will produce white light.

      Radio waves are long wavelength solar radiation waves used by people for communications and entertainment. The stars all emit radio frequencies that can be detected by radio telescopes. Microwaves have a shorter wavelength than radio waves and are also used for communication. X-rays and Gamma waves have the shortest wavelengths of all the sun's radiation waves.

    Solar Acoustics

    • Sound Waves

      The sun is like a diva: She sings a song the scientists at Stanford University Solar Center are keen to hear. Acoustic pressure waves from the sun are recorded by an instrument on the orbiting SOHO solar observatory and downloaded to computers at the Solar Center.

      The processes happening inside the sun create oscillating acoustic waves. This sound energy bounces back and forth from the dense solar interior to the less dense photosphere and cause visible effects on the sun's surface. The effect is similar to vibrations produced by an earthquake with the difference that in the sun, the waves are produced by many sources instead of one as in the earthquake.

      These sound waves are called p-mode shapes. According to the Stanford Solar Center, the effect is similar to what you might see if you could see the vibrations on the surface of a ringing bell. The sound would be like the sound of millions of grains of sand striking the bell. You can listen to a recording of the sun's sound waves at the Stanford Solar Center website.

    Gravity Waves

    • Gravity

      Just under the sun's outer layer is convection zone. This stable area produces gravity waves, and the effects can be observed on the solar surface. The exact nature of gravity waves is still unknown, but their existence was predicted by Albert Einstein.

      By combining instrument readings from the SOHO orbital observatory with three dimensional modeling techniques, it is now possible to see the propagation of gravity waves in the sun's atmosphere.


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