Convective Zone

The convective zone makes up the Sun's outer shell.  The temperature here is not hot enough to strip away electrons like it is in the core.  Atoms with electrons are able to absorb and emit radiation, making the gas "thicker."

In the convective zone, the energy is transferred much faster than it is in the radiative zone because of convection.  Convection is what happens when you boil a pot of water.   It also happens in the Sun, too!  You can think of the radiative zone as the burner that the pot sits on.  It is where the heat comes from.  It heats the water, causing bubbles of gas to rise to the top.  When a bubble reaches the top, it cools again and sinks to the bottom.  In the Sun, the "top" is the top of the convective zone.  The bubbles of solar gas rise through the convective zone and then cool once they reach the top.  This process repeats itself many times.  Below you can see an image of convection.  Does it remind you of boiling water?

How does this transfer energy?  Heat is released when the bubbles reach the top of the convective zone and cool.  In this way, energy is transferred into the next layer of the sun, the photosphere.