That means that the center of the sun is packed very tight. This is where nuclear fusion occurs. It has been calculated that it takes 14,000 million years for one proton to fuse with another. The core produces x-ray photons that work their way to the surface of the sun through the radiative zone. This layer is packed with hot gases and electrons called plasma.
Currents then carry the sun s energy to the surface in the convective layer.
This is the area of the sun that early scientists focused most of their attention. The granular surface of the sun contains sunspots that come and go in a regular eleven-year pattern. Because it emits very little light, early scientists did not study it. Today, astronomers find many interesting features including loops of hydrogen gas called prominences in the chromosphere. It can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.