Top 15 Facts about the Sun

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Top 15 facts about the sun

Did you know that the sun is about 4.603 billion years? This age was derived using stellar evolution computer models and nucleocosmochronology. It was, therefore, formed by the collapse of a portion of a massive molecular cloud composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, which gave birth to many other stars.

The sun is the closest star to Earth, and it is also the star that Earth orbits. The sun is about 150,000 times the size of Earth and is about 93 million miles away from Earth. The distance is measured by astronomers and astrophysicists using the astronomical unit.

3. It is the largest object in the solar system

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The sun has a diameter of approximately 1.4 million kilometers with a distance of 695,508 kilometers from the center of the surface. It also contains about  99.86% of the total mass of the solar system and could hold approximately 1.3 million Earths.

4. Core is the hottest part of the sun

The core of the sun is assumed to stretch from the center to about 0.2 to 0.25 of its solar radius. It is indeed the sun’s and the solar system’s hottest region. It is composed of hot, dense plasma, which pressures estimated to be 265 billion bar. The proton-proton chain reaction accounts for the majority of the Sun’s released energy.

5. Different parts of the sun rotate at different speeds

The fact that the different parts of the sun rotate at different speeds is the most interesting thing you should consider knowing. However, the sun can deform and flow as a fluid since it is plasma. Thus leading to different parts rotating at different speeds.

 It is also interesting that the sun rotates just like the Earth, but much more slowly. The Earth rotates around its polar axis in 1 day while the sun rotates around its axis once every 27 Earth days.

 6. Sun is about 4.6 billion years old

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The sun is approximately 4.6 billion years old. It is believed to have formed from a cloud of gas and dust that collapsed due to gravity. The sun is also considered to be the largest object in the solar system. With a mass of approximately 333,000 times Earth. It is however 150 times the size of the earth.

7. It is a medium-sized star and is about halfway through its life

Sun is a medium-sized star and is about halfway through its life. It has enough mass to produce energy through nuclear fusion and will continue to do so for another 4-5 billion years. After that, it will expand and cool, eventually becoming a white dwarf.

Sun is an average star and is not particularly special or unique. However, it is the only star close enough to Earth to be studied in detail, and so our understanding of stellar evolution is largely based on our observations of the Sun.

8. It generates light and heat, or solar energy, which allows life to exist on Earth

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Because the sun is the star that is closest to earth, the reason being that the gravitational pull keeps the planet in the orbit. Thus the sun radiates light, heat, and solar energy, hence allowing life to exist on Earth.

However, the earth would be unbearable if the sun did not provide heat or light.   Plants require sunlight for growth, while plants are necessary for animals and humans for food and the oxygen they produce.

9. The Sun has an Impact on Climate

The sun is the sole source of energy for the Earth’s climate. Its distribution of solar heating across the planet generates global wind patterns that contribute to the formation of clouds, storms, and rainfall. Thus the influence that the sun has on climate is a one-of-a-kind introduction to

The Sun is the sole source of energy for the Earth’s climate system. The distribution of solar heating across the planet produces global wind patterns and contributes to the formation of clouds, storms, and rainfall. The Sun’s Influence on Climate is a one-of-a-kind introduction to this critical relationship.

10. The sun is an almost perfect sphere

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The sun is an almost perfect sphere of hot plasma, with an internal convective motion that generates a magnetic field via a dynamo process. It is by far the most important source of energy for life on Earth. Its diameter is about 109 times that of Earth, and its mass is about 330,000 times that of Earth, accounting for about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System.

11. The brightness of the Sun can cause pain from looking at it with the naked eye

Looking at the Sun with the naked eye can cause pain, but doing so for short periods is not dangerous for normal non-dilated eyes.  However, when the naked eye is exposed to the direct Sun for the long term it can cause UV-induced, sunburn-like lesions on the retina after about 100 seconds, especially if the UV light from the Sun is intense and well focused.   

12. During the sunrise and sunset the sunlight is dilute

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Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering from the long passage through the earth’s atmosphere leads to the dilution of sunlight during the sunrise and sunset. However, during the sunset and sunrise one can comfortably see the sun with naked eyes or safe optics.

13. Its gravitational force is about 28 times that of Earth

The Sun’s gravity is about 28 times that of Earth. This means that the Sun’s gravity is about 28 times as strong as Earth’s gravity. The Sun’s gravity is what keeps the planets in orbit around it. Without the Sun’s gravity, the planets would fly off into space.

14. It rotates once on its axis every 25.38 Earth days

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The sun is thought to rotate once on its axis every 25.38 Earth days. This is based on observations of sunspots, which move from west to east across the sun’s surface as it rotates.

The sun’s rotation affects the position of the stars in the sky, as well as the length of the day and night. It also affects the Earth’s climate, as different parts of the world experience different seasons at different times of the year.

15.It has two known companion stars: Proxima Centauri and Barnard’s Star

The sun has two known companion stars, which include Proxima Centauri and Barnard’s Star. However Proxima Centauri is known to be the nearest star to the sun and it is considered to be part of a triple-star system. While Barnard’s Star is the second- nearest star to the sin and is referred to be part of a binary star system

These companion stars helps to understand some of the Sun’s quirks like it relatively high rate of rotation and the sun’s peculiar chemical composition.

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