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10 interesting facts about the sun

by Angelita Littel Published 4 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Here are more fun facts about the sun, provided by the NASA Science Space Place:
  • The sun is a star. ...
  • The sun is the closest star to our planet, which is why we see the sun so big and bright.
  • The Earth orbits around the sun.
  • The sun is way bigger than the Earth. ...
  • It's hot!! ...
  • The sun is 93 million miles away from the Earth.
May 10, 2021

The Sun’s energy travels outwards

Path to improved health

  • Use sunscreen. The higher the SPF, the more it will protect against UV rays. The FDA suggests using SPF 15 or greater. ...
  • Plan your exposure. Avoid direct sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. ...
  • Take breaks. Too much sun exposure is harmful. Go inside, get in the shade, or use an umbrella.
  • Cover up. Wear clothing and hats to protect your skin from UV rays. ...

The atmosphere of the Sun is composed of three areas

compiled their five favorite facts about the dwarf planet, and we’re here to share them. Pluto Fact 1: The decision to remove Pluto’s planetary status came about because it shares its orbit around the sun with objects called “plutinos.” Pluto Fact ...

The Sun is an almost perfect sphere

Sun Facts

  • There wouldn’t be any life on Earth without the Sun. ...
  • The Sun’s gravity is what keeps the Earth and other planets that make the solar system in orbit around it.
  • The Sun accounts for 99.8% of the mass of our solar system.
  • The two main gases that make up the Sun are helium and hydrogen. ...

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The Sun will one day be about the size of Earth

Student Features

  • Saturn is huge. ...
  • You cannot stand on Saturn. ...
  • Its beautiful rings are not solid. ...
  • Some of these bits are as small as grains of sand. ...
  • The rings are huge but thin. ...
  • Other planets have rings. ...
  • Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas. ...
  • It is very windy on Saturn. ...
  • Saturn goes around the Sun very slowly. ...
  • Saturn spins on its axis very fast. ...

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Light from the Sun takes eight minutes to reach Earth

What are some bad things about the Sun?

What are 5 facts about the Sun?

What are some of the Amazing Facts about our Sun?

What are some interesting features about the Sun?

What are 5 interesting facts about the Sun?

Fun Facts About the SunThe Sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass in the solar system. ... Over one million Earths could fit inside the Sun. ... One day the Sun will consume the Earth. ... The energy created by the Sun's core is nuclear fusion. ... The Sun is almost a perfect sphere.More items...

Did u know facts about the Sun?

Ten Interesting Facts About the SunThe Sun is the Solar System. ... And the Sun is mostly hydrogen and helium. ... The Sun is pretty bright. ... The Sun is huge, but tiny. ... The Sun is middle aged. ... The Sun has layers. ... The Sun is heating up, and will kill all life on Earth. ... Different parts of the Sun rotate at different speeds.More items...•Sep 11, 2008

What are 3 good things about the Sun?

Here are 10 reasons some time in the sun will improve your life:It lifts your mood. When you're feeling sullen and down, the sun can make a difference. ... It gives us Vitamin D. ... It eases depression. ... It brightens your surroundings. ... It makes things easier for us. ... It's a great energy booster. ... It livens the senses. ... It warms you up.More items...

What makes the sun hot?

The core of the sun is so hot and there is so much pressure, nuclear fusion takes place: hydrogen is changed to helium. Nuclear fusion creates heat and photons (light). The sun's surface is about 6,000 Kelvin, which is 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit (5,726 degrees Celsius).Mar 1, 2012

How big is the sun facts?

The mean radius of the sun is 432,450 miles (696,000 kilometers), which makes its diameter about 864,938 miles (1.392 million km). You could line up 109 Earths across the face of the sun, according to NASA (opens in new tab). The sun's circumference is about 2,715,396 miles (4,370,006 km).Jan 21, 2022

Which Colour is sunlight?

whiteThe color of the sun is white. The sun emits all colors of the rainbow more or less evenly and in physics, we call this combination "white". That is why we can see so many different colors in the natural world under the illumination of sunlight.Jul 3, 2013

What are 5 benefits of the sun?

A Healthy Summer: 5 Benefits of Sun ExposureThe sun's light kills bacteria. Surprisingly enough, sunlight does kill bacteria! ... Sunlight reduces your blood pressure. ... Sun exposure reduces cancer risk. ... The sun strengthens your bones. ... Sunlight improves your sleep quality.Apr 1, 2016

What is the most important thing about the sun?

It is the most important source of energy for life on Earth. Without it, we wouldn't be here. Contrary to popular belief, the Sun will never explode. Instead, it will eventually morph from a "red giant" into a "white dwarf."Nov 12, 2019

Why is the Sun important?

The Sun is the single-most important factor that makes life on Earth possible. Since we owe our lives to this celestial illuminator, why not take some time to learn some facts about the Sun?

What is the Sun made of?

Or at least, parts of it do. The sun is comprised of 74%hydrogen and 24% helium (the remaining 2% contains trace amounts of elements like iron, nickel, and oxygen). Since it’s little more than a spinning ball of gas, some parts rotate faster than others.

How often do the magnetic poles of the Sun reverse?

Approximately every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles reverse their polarity. Magnetic north becomes magnetic south, and vice versa. Sound crazy? Sure, especially compared to Earth’s relatively stable magnetic poles. But considering the sun is a giant ball of constantly shifting gas and plasma, it shouldn’t be too surprising.

How much of the Sun's mass is held by Jupiter?

The sun holds 99.86% of the mass of our solar system (fun fact: most of the rest is held by Jupiter). For a bit of perspective, try to picture this: 109 Earths could fit on the surface, and over 1 million Earths could fit inside of it. As an illustration, consider: if the Earth were the size of a marble 1cm in diameter, the Sun would be abou 1.1 meters in diameter--the size of a large blow-up ball, like the kind you’d use in gym class.

How long will the Sun consume hydrogen?

...in a while. Remember how the Sun is currently made of of both hydrogenand helium? Scientists estimate that in another 5 billion years or so, it will consume all the hydrogen stored in its core, at which point helium will become the primary fuel.

How long does it take for a sunspot to rotate?

By tracking the movement of sunspots, scientists found that equatorial regions take approximately 25 days to finish a single rotation, while sunspots at the poles can take 36 days to complete a rotation.

What is the Sun's structure?

1) The Sun Has Layers. Much like an onion (or our own planet), the sun has an internal structure not visible from the outside. On the exterior is the photosphere--that’s what we can see. This layer reaches 6,000 degrees Kelvin..

How many Earths does the Sun hold?

Volume: Sun more than 1.142 quintillion cubic kilometres, meaning it would hold about 1.3 million Earths.

What is the composition of the Sun?

6) Sun Has Simple Chemical Composition. The Sun consists of only a few elements, of which hydrogen is predominant at around 72%, and helium at about 26%, with the other elements accounting for progressively smaller amounts, such as oxygen, carbon, neon, nitrogen, magnesium, iron and silicon. Here are some more figures, comparing 1 million hydrogen ...

What happens when the Sun breaks through the surface?

Sometimes, the Sun will blast off hundreds of millions of tons of material in the form of solar flares that are associated with Sun-spot activity , which seem to “explode” when magnetic field lines in the Sun break through the surface.

How strong is the Sun's magnetic field?

Although the Sun’s magnetic field is only about twice as strong as Earth’s overall, the differential rotation of the Sun concentrates the field in some places, where it can be as much as 3,000 times as strong as on Earth. Magnetic concentrations manifest as “Sun spots”, and only occur up to about 45 degrees north and south of the solar equator, because it is in this region that the differences in the rotation rates of different part of the Sun is greatest. Greater disruption in the Sun’s magnetic field cause solar flares that can extend hundreds of thousands of miles above the surface. Less violent eruptions are known as “coronal mass ejections”, during which remarkable amounts of matter is blasted off the Sun’s surface, up to about 20 billion tons of matter in a single event.

What would happen if the Sun was shrunk to the size of a beach ball?

This fact makes the Sun the closest thing to a perfect sphere yet discovered in nature, and if the sun was shrunk to the size of a beach ball, the difference between its widest and narrowest diameters would be less than the width of a human hair.

How does the Sun generate energy?

The Sun generates roughly 386 billion billion mega Watts of energy through nuclear synthesis, as it converts hydrogen into helium. This energy travels outward from the core, and is continuously absorbed and re-emitted at progressively lower energy levels and temperatures until it emerges from the surface, where some of it becomes visible as optical light. Some of the Sun’s energy is then radiated as heat, but it also powers a stream of energetic particles that is perhaps better known as the solar wind.

Why is the sky blue?

This process is why the sky appears blue, as shorter wavelength lights, such as blue and violet, are absorbed by the atmosphere, thu s giving it its bluish hue.

What is the myth of the Sun?

Culture and myth about the Sun. 1. Many ancient cultures worshiped the sun as a deity (Egyptian, Indo-European, and Meso-American.) [49] 2. A scientist and philosopher from modern-day Turkey called Anaxagoras was the first to suggest that the sun is a star, around 450 BC. [50]

What are some interesting facts about the solar system?

16. The sun’s gravity anchors earth and all the other planets together in a small space called the solar system. [37] 17. The sun is at the center of the solar system and all planets orbit around it. [38] 18.

What are the three types of energy that the Sun emits?

[4] 30. It emits three different kinds of energy; infrared radiation, visible light, and ultraviolet light . [5] 31. The ozone layer absorbs most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays which cause sun burns.

Is the Sun's gravity stronger than Earth's?

Its gravity is 28 times stronger than earth’s gravity. [40] 20. The bubble that surrounds the sun and solar system is called the heliosphere. [41] 21. Helioseismology is the study of the interior of the sun.

What are some interesting facts about the Sun?

These are the 10 interesting facts about Our Sun, when we come to think that our very life depends upon Sun’s existence and it would kill us if something happens with the sun, it puts us into a bit dark side of our mind. But, we should not think about our own life every moment and should enjoy every moment we have. We should think of the universe as a bigger picture in its process. So while you see all the planets through your best portable telescopes don’t forget that you can see these beauties because of our sun. Every earth being including us humans are alive because of the sun.

How long has the Sun been around?

In various religions, it is believed that the Sun has been around since the creation of the world. But according to scientists (the people we believe in), the sun was born or formed about 4.5 billion years ago. The scientists say that the Sun has already burned almost half of its hydrogen stores in the last 4.5 billion years. The Sun has been left been enough hydrogen stores that it can burn for 5 billion more years and after that, it would turn into a supernova and destroy all life on Earth. Well, we don’t have to worry about human life if we find another suitable planet for humans.

What would happen if the Sun consumed all its hydrogen?

The sun that is the life-giving source for earth would itself become earth’s doom. There would come a time when the sun would consume and destroy the earth. At the point when the Sun has consumed all its Hydrogen, it will keep on consuming helium for 130 million additional years. During this time it will extend to the point that it will overwhelm Mercury, Venus, and the Earth. At this stage, it will have gotten a red giant.

How does the Sun look like?

From Earth, Sun looks just like a big ball of hydrogen and helium which is always burning. It has three internal structure layers. The surface is the visible convective zone. Where the energy from the core moves to the surface very slowly ( we are talking millions of years here). Then the cooled material falls down back in the column process. After convection zone comes to the radioactive zone. In the radioactive zone energy only travels in the form of radiation. After that comes the core of the Sun where the 15million degree Celsius.

What is the surface temperature of the Sun?

The Sun’s surface temperature is around 5000 kelvin. Well, it’s lesser than its atmospheric temperature. The chromosphere region of the Sun reaches around 1,00,000 kelvin and this makes us think that the atmospheric temperature can’t rise above this, then you would be surprised to know that after chromosphere is an atmospheric layer known as corona where the temperature reaches up to 1 million kelvin.

How does the Sun generate energy?

The Sun generates a ton of energy every nanosecond. This energy is generated due to nuclear fusion. The process of nuclear fusion means the conversion of hydrogen and helium. When hydrogen burns it turns into helium which in the process generates a very large amount of energy. It makes us think that why don’t the Sun blasts like a nuclear bomb while converting this large amount of energy? Well, it would have if it didn’t have a very powerful gravitational pull.

What phase is the Sun in?

Currently, the Sun is in its red giant phase. The red giant is Sun’s size classification. When the Sun will complete its red giant phase it will collapse and its mass will be retained in the space. When this would happen the Sun will have a volume left the same as the Earth. Then it will be known as the white dwarf at the place of the red giant.

What is the Sun made of?

The Sun is approximately 74% hydrogen, 24% helium, 1.5% carbon and a trace amount of other gases. The two gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, are also made up primarily of Hydrogen and Helium. This leads some astronomers to call them “failed stars”.

When was the Sun formed?

The Sun is the center of our entire solar system and has been since it was formed more than 4.6 billion years ago . However, we haven’t always known that the Sun was the center of our solar system. It wasn’t until the 16th Century with Copernicus’s “Heliocentric” model that it was accepted that the planets actually revolved around this giant star.

How powerful is the Sun's gravity?

The gravity of the surface of the Sun is around 28x as powerful as the gravity of Earth. The name Sun, unlike the planets which are from Roman and Greek mythology, actually comes from old English. Like any other star, the Sun is made up primarily of hydrogen, with a less amount of helium.

Why do planets orbit the Sun?

The main thing to understand about why the planets orbit the Sun is that they are still moving. If the Sun wasn’t there, they would be still be moving in a direction, like the objects out in the Oort cloud that aren’t as affected by the gravity of the Sun.

How long does it take for the Sun to rotate?

This means that different points on the Sun will actually rotate at different times and speeds. If we look at the Sun’s equator, this rotates fully every 24-25 days. But at the top and bottom of the Sun (the North and South pole), this can take 36 days to rotate fully.

How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to Earth?

It takes approximately 499 seconds for light to travel all the way from the Sun to the Earth. We use the AU, or astronomical unit, measurement system when talking about distances in our galaxy. This is the distance between the Sun and Earth, around 93 million miles (150 million kilometers).

When did astronomers start to believe that the Sun was the center of the universe?

It wasn’t until Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres in the 15th century that astronomers started to accept that the Sun was actually the center of the solar system.

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