Facts about the Sun

What is the Sun made of?

The Sun is made of many gases! Majorly the Sun is 73% Hydrogen, 25% Helium, 1.5% Nitrogen, Oxygen and Carbon and 0.5% other gases.

The Sun has many layers such as:

• The Core- the hot middle producing all the energy
• The Radiative Zone- the zone that helps the energy from the core to move forward
• The Convection Zone- the rising and falling of hot air currents happens here
• The Photosphere- visible part of the Sun that we can see, this is the Suns surface
• The Chromosphere- glows red when it gets heated by the photospheres energy
• The Corona- white halo seen during a total solar eclipse. This eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the Sun and the Earth and blocks the Suns light on Earth.

What is Convection?

We all know that hot air rises and cold air descends. The hot air from the Sun rises up to its surface and becomes cool and descends again. This circular cycle is called convection.

How big is the Sun?

If 109 Earths would sit next to each other then they would be able to form one Sun. In weight, the Sun equals 33,30,00 Earths. Thus, in the solar system, the Sun is the largest object.

How much time does it take for the sunlight to reach the Earth?

The Sun is 150 million kilometres away from the Earth; yet it takes just about 8 minutes at the speed of 300,000 kilometres per second for the sunlight to reach the Earth.

How old is the Sun?

The Sun was born about 4.57 billion years ago. This was when dust particles and clouds of gas (mainly hydrogen gas) collected over many millions of years and formed a big mass. As more gas started falling on this mass, the center became extremely hot. As hot as 27 million Fahrenheit! This high pressure built and caused thermo nuclear fusion. Now, the Sun started to produce its own energy, light and heat.

Is the Sun a star?

Yes! The Sun is a medium sized star or a yellow dwarf. It appears as the largest star to us because it is the closest to the Earth.

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