Sun: Facts - NASA Science (2024)

FAQs

What did NASA say about the Sun? ›

Our Sun is a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star – a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium – at the center of our solar system. It's about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth and it's our solar system's only star. Without the Sun's energy, life as we know it could not exist on our home planet.

The sun provides heat and light to our planet, supporting life on Earth. Earth is in the habitable zone of the sun. We are close enough to the sun to benefit from the light and heat, but far enough away to prevent Earth from being too hot and vaporizing all the water. The sun is much larger than Earth.

The scientific name of our Sun is "Sol," which is derived from the ancient Roman name for the Sun. The name "Sol" is often used to distinguish our Sun from other stars in the galaxy, which are given different names based on their spectral properties and other characteristics.

Missions to the Sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is studying our star from closer than any previous spacecraft. On Dec. 14, 2021, NASA announced that Parker had flown through the Sun's upper atmosphere – the corona – the first time in history that a spacecraft had touched the Sun.

"This reveals the star's core, which by this point in the star's life is running out of fuel, eventually turning off and before finally dying." Astronomers estimate that the sun has about 7 billion to 8 billion years left before it sputters out and dies. One way or another, humanity may well be long gone by then.

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is believed to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language. If you sneeze too hard, you could fracture a rib. Wearing headphones for just an hour could increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

The Sun drives the water cycle which provides water necessary for living organisms. The water cycle also helps maintain the climate on Earth. The Sun allows plants to photosynthesize; plants are producers and form the base of the food chain. Finally, the Sun helps to form fossil fuels which can be burned for energy.

The Sun is a huge, glowing sphere of hot gas. Most of this gas is hydrogen (about 70%) and helium (about 28%). Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen make up 1.5% and the other 0.5% is made up of small amounts of many other elements such as neon, iron, silicon, magnesium and sulfur.

The Sun's Core

Even though the core is made of gas, it is 10 times more dense than lead. It is also the hottest region of the Sun, about 15 million ℃ (27 million ℉). The Sun's core is the only place in our solar system where temperature and density conditions are high enough for nuclear fusion to occur naturally.

What are three sun facts? ›

The Sun is a star and produces heat and light (energy) via nuclear reactions. The planets, dwarf planets and asteroids all orbit around the Sun, held in their orbits by the force of gravity. Different planets have different observed properties and characteristics.

Eventually, the fuel of the sun - hydrogen - will run out. When this happens, the sun will begin to die. But don't worry, this should not happen for about 5 billion years. After the hydrogen runs out, there will be a period of 2-3 billion years whereby the sun will go through the phases of star death.

The Sun does rise in the East. If you are asking if the Sun could rise in the West, then no. That would require Earth changing its rotational direction and that would require energy enough to liquefy its surface.

The sun comes into being each day from little pieces of fire that are collected. The face of the sun is not without expression, but it tells us precious little of what is in its heart. — Armin J. Deutsch, Scientific American magazine, November 1948.

Nikola Tesla Quotes

Modern science says: 'The sun is the past, the earth is the present, the moon is the future. ' From an incandescent mass we have originated, and into a frozen mass we shall turn. Merciless is the law of nature, and rapidly and irresistibly we are drawn to our doom.

1, 366. From what has been said it is also evident, that the Whiteness of the Sun's Light is compounded all the Colours wherewith the several sorts of Rays whereof that Light consists, when by their several Refrangibilities they are separated from one another, do tinge Paper or any other white Body whereon they fall.