8 Fascinating Facts About the Sun: Our Closest Star
8 Fascinating Facts About the Sun: Our Closest Star
1. The sun is a star, and it is the closest star to Earth. It is about 93 million miles away from us.
2. The sun is not solid, but rather a giant ball of gas. The majority of its mass is made up of hydrogen, with helium being the second most abundant element.
3. The sun's energy is created through a process called nuclear fusion, where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium.
4. The sun has a magnetic field that causes sunspots and solar flares. These can sometimes have an impact on Earth's atmosphere and communication systems.
5. The sun is about 4.6 billion years old and is expected to continue shining for another 5 billion years or so.
6. The sun's equator rotates faster than the poles, taking about 25 days to complete one rotation, while the poles take around 36 days.
7. The temperature at the surface of the sun is about 5,500 degrees Celsius (9,932 degrees Fahrenheit).
8. The sun's light takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. This means that we see the sun as it was over 8 minutes ago.