Sun Facts

by

Jenna Jenkins

Sun Facts…

The Sun is by far the largest object in the solar system. It contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System (Jupiter contains most of the rest).

Sun Facts…

The diameter of the sun is 1,390,000 km.

The mass of the sun is 1.989e30 kgThe temperature of the sun is 5800 K

(surface) 15,600,000 K (core)

Sun Facts…

The Sun is personified in many mythologies: the Greeks called it Helios and the Romans called it Sol.

Learn more about sun mythology.

Sun Facts…

The Sun is, at present, about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium by mass; everything else ("metals") amounts to only 0.1%.

Sun Facts…

The Sun's energy output is produced by nuclear fusion reactions.

Nuclear Fusion-a nuclear process whereby several small nuclei are combined to make a larger one whose mass is slightly smaller than the sum of the small ones.

Sun Facts…

The surface of the Sun is called the photosphere. It is at a temperature of about 5800 K.

A small region known as the chromosphere lies above the photosphere.

Sun Facts…

Click on the picture below to see a time-lapse movie of the photosphere.

Sun Facts…

Sunspots are "cool" regions, only 3800 K (they look dark only by comparison with the surrounding regions). Sunspots can be very large, as much as 50,000 km in diameter.

Sun Facts…

In addition to heat and light, the Sun also emits a low density stream of charged particles (mostly electrons and protons) known as the solar wind which propagates throughout the solar system at about 450 km/sec.

Sun Facts…

The solar wind has large effects on the tails of comets and even has measurable effects on the trajectories of spacecraft.

Sun Facts…

The sun is 148,730,000km from the earth.

Enjoy a multimedia tour of the sun from the earth.

Sun Resources…

Facts pulled for this slide show.

Movie Resource for the slide show.