Sun is a huge shining star, when seen from outside the solar system. Inside the solar system, it’s the center around which planets are orbiting. Sun was created at the time of birth of our universe. All the planets were part of sun that separated from it after some years and started orbiting it due to its immense gravitational pull. There sun is a living example of a huge hydrogen bomb. What else is there to know about sun is given in the lines below.
1. The mass of the Solar System
Our solar system comprise of sun and planets that we know. But we should also know that the total mass of sun makes the 99.8 percent of our solar system mass. The remaining 0.2 percent is made by the Jupiter this means that our earth and the other planets are no more than fraction of the fraction.
2. Hydrogen and helium
The two elements that are primary in the sun are hydrogen and helium. All the energy that sun produces is due to these two elements. Sun can also be called a huge hydrogen bomb that explodes all the time.
3. Mass to energy conversion
E=mc^2, Einstein gave this equation saying that mass can be converted into energy only when it moves at the speed of light. Helium is converted to energy all the time on sun. This equation and phenomenon is valid.
4. Big and bright star
Sun is a big and bright star. It is closest star to the earth.
5. Sun is big
Sun is big, in fact huge because we will need 1.3 billion earths to fill the sun in, therefore sun is big. But it is not as big as some known huge stars. The big known star if placed inside our solar system will cover it up till Saturn.
6. The resources
It is said that sun is in the middle of consuming its resources. It’s age in 4.9 billion years now. It will become a red giant 5 billion years from now and will eat up all the planets around it and will shrink to a white dwarf.
7. Layers of Sun
Sun has three layers. The outer layer is called photosphere, the inner layer Is called the convection layer while the inner layer is called radioactive zone. In this region hydrogen is fused into helium to make energy out of mass and the heat travels in radiations.
8. Heating up
Sun is not the same, its undergoing changes. Every 1 billion years, sun becomes 10 percent more luminous then before. It will take sun a few more billion years to kill all the life on earth and drying up all the water.
9. Rotation
Sun is not stationary but it’s rotating. The difference of its rotation with that of our earth is that different parts of the earth of sun are rotating at different speeds.
10. Spacecraft
NASA has sent a spacecraft to observe the sun and its activities.