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Sun Research Yields Unexpected Results

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fact-and-theory dept.

Syberghost writes "There are two major theories about the composition of the Sun. One says that it has similar composition to the planets. The other, that it has enriched levels of oxygen-16. NASA has been doing research on the soil samples Neil Armstrong brought back from the moon, to determine which of those theories is correct. Today, we have the results; they're both wrong. It looks like we're going to have to look more closely at the composition of everything in the solar system to figure this one out."

8 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Huh? by Mr_Tulip · · Score: 3, Informative
    Cheese.

    It's common knowledge that the moon is made of cheese, and we all know that the sun is yellow.

    What color is cheese?

    There's your connection, right there.

  2. Re:Huh? by DrMrLordX · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Moon has no significant protection from an atmosphere or electromagnetic field as does the Earth. As result, it gets hammered by everything from space junk to charged particles kicked out in solar flares. Or, instead of listening to me, you could just go read the article.

  3. Re:Ahh the burn! by aachrisg · · Score: 5, Informative

    They mean a similar composition in terms of the ratios of different isotopes (in this case, oxygen, which has 3 stable isotopes), not that it has a similar composition in terms of which elements make it up.

  4. Re:Curious by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's mostly hydrogen; helium makes up around 20-25% of the Sun. Everything other than those two are trace elements.

    The stuff in the corona is injected from the photosphere: basically the Sun's visible "surface". There's a lot of convection in the upper layers of the Sun, so apart from the core (where helium "ash" builds up), it's probably reasonably well-mixed.

  5. DoninIN by DoninIN · · Score: 3, Informative

    The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where hydrogen is built into helium At a temperature of millions of degrees

  6. Re:It took how long? by Anthony · · Score: 2, Informative

    Scinetists often re-examine new material in light of new theories, or new developments in analytical techniques which Trevor Ireland happens tp work on. BTW, Ross Taylor of the ANU was invloved in early moon sample analysis.

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  7. Re:Too bad that satellite crashed on re-entry... by Brett+Buck · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think you are referring to this:

    http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/

          The probe crashed because an accelerometer was upside down, but the data was mostly unaffected. It was September 2004, so, not that long ago.

          Bre

  8. Re:Curious by EndlessNameless · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronom y/stars/lifecycle/

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    According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.