The Sun

The biggest thing in the solar system so

far.

What is the sun?

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System and is
by far the most important source of energy for life on
Earth.

How Bright is the sun?

The Sun is the brightest star in our sky, but thats
because its also the closest star to us.

Why does the sun rise and set?

As the Earth rotates, different locations on Earth pass through the
sun's light. The animation shows how that looks hour by hour (for 4
hours). As your town turns toward the sun and begins to enter its
light, the sun seems to rise in the east. As your town begins to leave
the sun's light and enter darkness, it appears to set in the west.

Why is the sun so important?

Nothing is more important to us on Earth than the Sun. Without the
Sun's heat and light, the Earth would be a lifeless ball of ice-coated
rock. The Sun warms our seas, stirs our atmosphere, generates our
weather patterns, and gives energy to the growing green plants that
provide the food and oxygen for life on Earth.

When was the sun created?

The sun was born about 4.6 billion years ago. Many scientists think
the sun and the rest of the solar system formed from a giant,
rotating cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula. As the
nebula collapsed because of its gravity, it spun faster and flattened
into a disk. Most of the material was pulled toward the center to
form the sun.

Will the sun die?

In about 5 billion years from now, the sun will begin to die.
As the Sun grows old, it will expand. As the core runs out of hydrogen and then helium, the core will
contract and the outer layers will expand, cool, and become less bright. It will become a red giant star.
After this phase, the outer layers of the Sun will continue to expand. As this happens, the core will
contract; the helium atoms in the core will fuse together, forming carbon atoms and releasing energy.
The core will then be stable since the carbon atoms are not further compressible.
The Pistol nebula: a planetary nebula in Sagittarius.
The Egg nebula: a planetary nebula that formed a few hundred years ago. Then the outer layers of the
Sun drift off into space, forming a planetary nebula (a planetary nebula has nothing to do with planets),
exposing the core.
Most of its mass will go to the nebula. The remaining Sun will cool and shrink; it will eventually be only
a few thousand miles in diameter!

When the sun dies!

When the sun dies earth will not be able to sustain life anymore.
When the sun explodes the pieces will speed of into space. This
explosion will create new planets. In a few million years the planets
will be fully grown. One of these planets might be able to sustain
life just like earth. So there might be a new earth some day.

Vitamin D and the sun!

Human skin can make large amounts of vitamin D when lots of skin
is exposed and the sun is high in the sky. Your body is designed to
get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when your bare skin is
exposed to sunlight. The part of the sun's rays that is important is
ultraviolet B (UVB). This gives you your Vitamin D.

Are there bigger stars?

In our Solar System the Sun which is a star, is the biggest object. We
do not know any planet bigger than the Sun, but we know that far
away there are other stars bigger than our Sun and there are some
smaller than it.

Sun diameter = 865,373.7 mi

Fun Facts
One million Earths could fit inside the Sun
Eventually, the Sun will consume the Earth
The Sun will one day be about the size of Earth
The Sun contains 99.86% of the mass in the Solar System
The Sun is an almost perfect sphere
Light from the Sun takes eight minutes to reach Earth
The Sun travels at 220 kilometres per second
The distance from the Sun to Earth changes throughout the year

Fun Facts
The Sun is middle-aged
The Sun has a very strong magnetic field
The temperature inside the Sun can reach 15 million degrees
Celsius
The Sun generates solar wind
At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Suns
diameter is about 110 times wider than Earths.
The Suns core is around 13,600,000 degrees Celsius

In Conclusion
In conclusion, The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System
and is by far the most important source of energy for life on Earth.