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"

Orange Sun Scintillating

Orange Sun Scintillating

15/11/2011

Waterfall, Moonbow, and Aurora from Iceland

Waterfall, Moonbow, and Aurora from Iceland

14/11/2011

Sunspot Castle

Sunspot Castle

12/11/2011

Orange Sun Oozing

Orange Sun Oozing
Video

06/11/2011

Jupiter Near Opposition

Jupiter Near Opposition

22/10/2011

Tails of Comet Garradd

Tails of Comet Garradd

20/10/2011

A Picturesque Venus Transit

A Picturesque Venus Transit

16/10/2011

Saturn: Shadows of a Seasonal Sundial

Saturn: Shadows of a Seasonal Sundial

12/10/2011

A Strange Sunrise Over Argentina

A Strange Sunrise Over Argentina

10/10/2011

Comet and CME on the Sun

Comet and CME on the Sun
Video

05/10/2011

Asteroids Near Earth

Asteroids Near Earth

01/10/2011

Violent Sunspot Group AR 1302 Unleashes a Flare

Violent Sunspot Group AR 1302 Unleashes a Flare

28/09/2011

Dry Ice Pits on Mars

Dry Ice Pits on Mars

26/09/2011

A Large Tsunami Shock Wave on the Sun

A Large Tsunami Shock Wave on the Sun

25/09/2011

September's Aurora

September's Aurora

23/09/2011

A Sharp View of the Sun

A Sharp View of the Sun

18/09/2011

Comet Garradd Passes Ten Thousand Stars

Comet Garradd Passes Ten Thousand Stars

03/09/2011

The Coldest Brown Dwarf

The Coldest Brown Dwarf

30/08/2011

TrES-2b: Dark Planet

TrES-2b: Dark Planet

22/08/2011

Perseid Below

Perseid Below

17/08/2011

Tornado and Rainbow Over Kansas

Tornado and Rainbow Over Kansas

14/08/2011

Introducing Comet Garradd

Introducing Comet Garradd

27/07/2011

Noctilucent Clouds Over Edmonton

Noctilucent Clouds Over Edmonton

20/07/2011

Lewin's Challenge: 360 Degree Star Trails

Lewin's Challenge: 360 Degree Star Trails

17/07/2011

Neptune: Once Around

Neptune: Once Around

14/07/2011

A Total Lunar Eclipse Over Tajikistan

Video preview available on open
Video

11/07/2011

Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System

Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System

03/07/2011

Eclipsed Moonlight

Eclipsed Moonlight

21/06/2011

Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri

Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri

15/06/2011

The Sun Unleashed

The Sun Unleashed

10/06/2011