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"

NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula

NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula

19/04/2018

Space Shuttle Rising

Space Shuttle Rising

15/04/2018

Martian Chiaroscuro

Martian Chiaroscuro

14/04/2018

The Sun Unleashed: Monster Filament in Ultraviolet

The Sun Unleashed: Monster Filament in Ultraviolet
Video

09/04/2018

Twilight in a Western Sky

Twilight in a Western Sky

31/03/2018

Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City

Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City

20/03/2018

The Nebra Sky Disk

The Nebra Sky Disk

19/03/2018

Phases of the Moon

Phases of the Moon

10/03/2018

Colorful Airglow Bands Surround Milky Way

Colorful Airglow Bands Surround Milky Way

06/03/2018

Dueling Bands in the Night

Dueling Bands in the Night

27/02/2018

A Partial Solar Eclipse over Buenos Aires

A Partial Solar Eclipse over Buenos Aires

20/02/2018

Enceladus in Silhouette

Enceladus in Silhouette

15/02/2018

Car Orbiting Earth

Car Orbiting Earth

13/02/2018

Blue Comet Meets Blue Stars

Blue Comet Meets Blue Stars

12/02/2018

A Partial Eclipse Over Manila Bay

A Partial Eclipse Over Manila Bay

11/02/2018

Roadster, Starman, Planet Earth

Roadster, Starman, Planet Earth

10/02/2018

Total Solar Lunar Eclipse

Total Solar Lunar Eclipse

09/02/2018

Venus and the Triply Ultraviolet Sun

Venus and the Triply Ultraviolet Sun

04/02/2018

A Total Lunar Eclipse Over Tajikistan

Video preview available on open
Video

28/01/2018

Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms

Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms

20/01/2018

Blue Comet in the Hyades

Blue Comet in the Hyades

18/01/2018

Blue Comet PanSTARRS

Blue Comet PanSTARRS

12/01/2018

Sun Halo over Sweden

Sun Halo over Sweden
Video

01/01/2018

Phaethon's Brood

Phaethon's Brood

23/12/2017

Solstice Sun and Milky Way

Solstice Sun and Milky Way

21/12/2017

The Kepler-90 Planetary System

The Kepler-90 Planetary System

18/12/2017

Mercury Visualized from MESSENGER

Mercury Visualized from MESSENGER
Video

11/12/2017

Earth and Moon

Earth and Moon
Video

04/12/2017

M42: The Great Orion Nebula

M42: The Great Orion Nebula

29/11/2017

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

23/11/2017