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The Sun

Image of the sun taken from space by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
Image of the sun taken from space by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
The sun rising over the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
The sun rising over the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
A close-up of the sun ejecting a massive amount of solar material into space, taken from space by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in August 2012
A close-up of the sun ejecting a massive amount of solar material into space, taken from space by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in August 2012
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license

The Sun is our very own star, the fiery powerhouse at the centre of our Solar System! It's not just a light bulb in the sky; it's an unimaginably huge, churning ball of super-hot gas (mostly hydrogen and helium). Think of it as a giant explosion that's been burning for billions of years.

Its jobs are to:

1. Be the "boss" of the Solar System. Its massive gravity (pulling force) is what holds all eight planets, including Earth, in their orbits, stopping them from flying off into deep space.

2. Blast out a colossal amount of energy as light and heat. This energy travels across space, warming our planet, giving us light to see, and providing the power for all plants to grow (which is what makes all other life possible!).

💡 Fun Facts

  • The Sun is so enormous that you could fit one million Earths inside it! If the Sun were a hollow football, you'd need to fill it with one million tiny peas (the Earths).
  • It's our long-distance power station! The Sun is about 93 million miles (150 million km) away. Its light feels instant, but it actually takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel all that way to us. So, the sunlight you see now actually left the Sun over 8 minutes ago!
  • It's a "middle-aged" star! Our Sun is about 4.5 billion years old, and scientists think it has enough fuel (hydrogen) to keep burning for about another 5 billion years. Phew!
  • The surface of the Sun is a sizzling 5,500°C, but its centre (the core) is a mind-boggling 15 million degrees Celsius!
  • The Sun has "weather"! It has dark, cooler patches on its surface called sunspots (which are still hotter than a volcano) and sometimes it burps out giant, powerful loops of energy called solar flares.
  • NEVER look directly at the Sun! Not even for a second, and never with sunglasses, binoculars, or a telescope. Its light is so powerful it can permanently damage your eyes before you even feel any pain.