Back to Glossary

The Sun

The Sun is a yellow dwarf star (G2V), about 4.6 billion years old, and the dominant gravitational force in the Solar System. It has a diameter of roughly 1.4 million kilometers and contains around 99.8% of the Solar System’s mass. Nuclear fusion in its core converts hydrogen into helium, producing energy that warms the planets. Above the core lie the radiative and convective zones, followed by the visible photosphere (~5,500 °C), the chromosphere, and the much hotter corona (~2 million °C).

Source: science.nasa.gov

APODs including "The Sun"

Flying Over the Earth at Night

Flying Over the Earth at Night
Video

08/12/2025

The Sun and Its Missing Colors

The Sun and Its Missing Colors

07/12/2025

3I ATLAS: Tails of an Interstellar Comet

3I ATLAS: Tails of an Interstellar Comet

01/12/2025

Moon Games

Moon Games

29/11/2025

NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula

NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula

28/11/2025

Dione and Rhea Ring Transit

Dione and Rhea Ring Transit

22/11/2025

3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth

3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth

21/11/2025

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

20/11/2025

Comet Lemmon's Wandering Tail

Comet Lemmon's Wandering Tail

17/11/2025

Orion and the Running Man

Orion and the Running Man

13/11/2025

A Super Lunar Corona

A Super Lunar Corona

12/11/2025

A Full Moon at Perigee

A Full Moon at Perigee

08/11/2025

Comet Lemmon Beyond Lomnický Peak

Comet Lemmon Beyond Lomnický Peak

04/11/2025

Comet Lemmon over the High Tatras

Comet Lemmon over the High Tatras

22/10/2025

Finding Comet Lemmon

Finding Comet Lemmon

20/10/2025

Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko Creates Its Tails

Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko Creates Its Tails

19/10/2025

Rocket Launch Plume over Tucson

Rocket Launch Plume over Tucson

15/10/2025

Lemmon Tree

Lemmon Tree

13/10/2025

50 Light-years to 51 Pegasi

50 Light-years to 51 Pegasi

10/10/2025

The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon

The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon

06/10/2025

A Long Storm System on Saturn

A Long Storm System on Saturn

05/10/2025

The Rotating Moon

The Rotating Moon
Video

04/10/2025

Pluto at Night

Pluto at Night

02/10/2025

Comet Lemmon Brightens

Comet Lemmon Brightens

30/09/2025

Two Camera Comets in One Sky

Two Camera Comets in One Sky

29/09/2025

A Rocket in the Sun

A Rocket in the Sun

27/09/2025

A SWAN, an ATLAS, and Mars

A SWAN, an ATLAS, and Mars

26/09/2025

Saturn Opposite the Sun

Saturn Opposite the Sun

25/09/2025

GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide

GW250114: Rotating Black Holes Collide

24/09/2025

Equinox at Saturn

Equinox at Saturn

22/09/2025