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Astronomical objects known since antiquityG-type main-sequence starsLight sourcesPopulation I stars

Sun

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A colorful diagram showing the true colors of planets, moons, and dwarf planets in our Solar System, organized by their orbital regions.

The Sun

The Sun is our closest star. It is a big, bright ball of hot plasma in the middle of our Solar System. The Sun shines because of nuclear fusion in its core. This gives us sunlight, which is very important for life on Earth.

The Sun is much bigger and heavier than anything else in our Solar System. Its width is about 109 times that of Earth. It holds about 99.86% of all the mass that goes around it.

The Sun formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of gas and dust. It still shines today by changing hydrogen into helium. In the far future, the Sun will change shape and become a cool, dim white dwarf.

People have looked at the Sun for thousands of years. Many cultures saw the Sun as a special force or a god. For example, the ancient Egyptians honored the Sun as the god Ra. Today, scientists study the Sun to learn more about how it works and how it affects our planet.

The Sun gives us the energy we need to live. It helps plants grow, lets animals see, and powers Earth’s weather. The Sun is the brightest object in our sky, much brighter than any other star.

Images

A detailed image of the Sun's surface showing turbulent patterns of solar plasma, with bright and dark areas indicating heat movement and magnetic fields.
A detailed image of the Sun's chromosphere, showing the dynamic movement of solar plasma, captured by NASA's Hinode telescope in 2007.
A beautiful view of the sun shining through thick fog in Lysekil, Sweden.
A bright sun shining in the clear blue sky.
A chart showing data from the last three solar cycles, including sunspot numbers and solar power measurements.
The life cycle of a Sun-like star, from its birth as a protostar to its eventual transformation into a red giant and white dwarf.
A scientific diagram showing how the Sun looked and behaved in its early years, helping us understand the conditions of our solar system long ago.
Diagram showing how the Sun, Earth, and Moon move around the Milky Way Galaxy.
A colorful image of the Sun's surface taken by a special telescope, showing detailed patterns of solar activity.
An old woodcut illustration of the Sun from a 16th-century astronomy book by Guido Bonatti.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Sun, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.