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Sun
NASA image
Mass
332,800
(Earth=1)
Mean
diameter 1392 Earth's Sun is a medium-sized star which lies
on the main sequence with 90% of the known
(106 m) stars. It has a effective surface temperature is
5780 K, putting it in spectral class G2. Its
Rotation mass is 1.989 x 1030 kg and its mean radius is
26-37 d
period 6.96 x 108 meters. The mass of the sun is over
99.8% of the mass of the entire known solar Index
Mean system, leading de Pater and Lissauer to refer
distance to lightly to the solar system as "the Sun plus Solar
149 some debris". System
Earth, 106 Illustration
km The sun radiates energy at the rate of 3.85
x1026 watts. Just outside the earth's Solar
atmosphere solar energy is received, assuming System
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/sun.html 2006/12/04
The Sun Page 2 of 3
The composition of the sun is 71% hydrogen, 27.1% helium and less than 2%
of all other elements.
The Sun's apparent magnitude is -26.8 and its absolute magnitude is +4.8 . Its
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/sun.html 2006/12/04
The Sun Page 3 of 3
The sun is 7.7 kpc or 25,000 light years from the center of the galaxy and orbits
the galaxy in about 200 million years. This corresponds to an orbital velocity of
230 km/s.
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HyperPhysics********** Astrophysics R Nave
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/sun.html 2006/12/04