The Equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.

Information & Facts About the Sun

The Sun is the largest object in our Solar System. It is the closest star to Earth and weighs 333,000 times as much as the Earth. The Sun is made of intensely hot gas, which is mostly hydrogen. The surface temperature of the Sun is about 10,000 degrees F. The Sun is hottest at the center where nuclear reactions occur. The Sun warms our planet and provides the light that we need.

Sunspots are cooler regions on the sun and appear darker. A sunspot can last from a few hours to a few months.

Above the Sun is it's atmosphere which consists of the Photosphere, the Chromosphere and the Corona. The sun has been shining for about 4.5 billion years. It has enough hydrogen fuel to "burn" for about 10 billion years.

The Sun is so powerful that its light can damage your eyesight. So never look at the Sun directly or through a telescope!

Facts about the Sun:

• Average distance from Earth = 93 million miles (~150 million km)
• Radius = 418,000 miles (696,000 km)

• Mass = 1.99 x 10 30 kg (330,000 Earth masses)

• Average temperature = 5,800 degrees Kelvin (surface), 15.5 million degrees Kelvin (core)

Return to Space

Related Information on the Sun:

A Virtual Tour of the Sun

Solar Folklore - Myths about the Sun. For centuries, humans have attempted to explain the Sun in terms of their own worldviews.

Images of the Sun

Sun Spot Cycles

Ask the Space Scientist About the Sun

The Science of Sunshine - Explore the benefits and dangers of Sunshine.

Today From Space: The Sun and Solar System

The Sun and Space Weather - If not for the Sun, we wouldn't have any weather. The Sun provides the energy that drives atmospheric circulation and creates wind and precipitation.

Eclipses of the Sun and Moon

Layers of the Sun - From core to cororna.

The Solar Wind - The Sun makes itself known throughout much of the Solar System by the influence the solar wind of high-speed charged particles constantly blowing off the Sun. The solar wind may be viewed as an extension of the outer atmosphere of the Sun (the corona) into interplanetary space.

Did you know?

When the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, it casts a shadow and causes an eclipse.

The Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun.

There is a high and low tide because of our moon and the Sun.

Billions of years from now, the Sun will swell up to become a red giant which in time will shrink to become a tiny star called a white dwarf.