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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"

The Faces of Mars

The Faces of Mars

05/05/2010

A Hall of Mountain Fogbows

A Hall of Mountain Fogbows

04/05/2010

Sunset on a Golden Sea

Sunset on a Golden Sea

28/04/2010

SDO: The Extreme Ultraviolet Sun

SDO: The Extreme Ultraviolet Sun

23/04/2010

Large Eruptive Prominence Imaged by STEREO

Large Eruptive Prominence Imaged by STEREO

18/04/2010

Bright Points on the Quiet Sun

Bright Points on the Quiet Sun

16/04/2010

Spitzer's Orion

Spitzer's Orion

10/04/2010

Venus and Mercury in the West

Venus and Mercury in the West

07/04/2010

Prometheus Remastered

Prometheus Remastered

05/04/2010

The Belt of Venus over the Valley of the Moon

The Belt of Venus over the Valley of the Moon

04/04/2010

Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri

Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri

31/03/2010

Hesiodus Sunrise Ray

Hesiodus Sunrise Ray

27/03/2010

Reinvigorated Sun and Prominence

Reinvigorated Sun and Prominence

23/03/2010

Equinox + 1

Equinox + 1

21/03/2010

Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona

Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona

16/03/2010

Centaurus A

Centaurus A

13/03/2010

Pillar at Sunset

Pillar at Sunset

06/03/2010

Chasing Carina

Chasing Carina

26/02/2010

Exceptional Rocket Waves Destroy Sun Dog

Exceptional Rocket Waves Destroy Sun Dog

23/02/2010

NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf

NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf

21/02/2010

Vesta Near Opposition

Vesta Near Opposition

18/02/2010

Cassini Spacecraft Crosses Saturn's Ring Plane

Cassini Spacecraft Crosses Saturn's Ring Plane

15/02/2010

A Sun Halo Over Cambodia

A Sun Halo Over Cambodia

08/02/2010

The Mysterious Voynich Manuscript

The Mysterious Voynich Manuscript

31/01/2010

Mars Opposition 2010

Mars Opposition 2010

29/01/2010

Annular Eclipse Over Myanmar

Annular Eclipse Over Myanmar

26/01/2010

Millennium Annular Solar Eclipse

Millennium Annular Solar Eclipse

22/01/2010

Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon

Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon

18/01/2010

New Year Sungrazer

New Year Sungrazer

16/01/2010

The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse

The Spotty Surface of Betelgeuse

06/01/2010