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"

Active Regions, CMEs, and X-Class Flares

Active Regions, CMEs, and X-Class Flares

08/06/2000

M51: The Center Of The Whirlpool

M51: The Center Of The Whirlpool

27/05/2000

Pleiades, Planets, And Hot Plasma

Pleiades, Planets, And Hot Plasma

24/05/2000

Light Bridges on the Sun

Light Bridges on the Sun

22/05/2000

Sungrazer

Sungrazer

20/05/2000

An Aurora Before the Storm

An Aurora Before the Storm

19/05/2000

The Far Infrared Sky

The Far Infrared Sky

17/05/2000

Dog-Bone Shaped Asteroid 216 Kleopatra

Dog-Bone Shaped Asteroid 216 Kleopatra

10/05/2000

A Green Flash from the Sun

A Green Flash from the Sun

07/05/2000

Planets In The Sun

Planets In The Sun

05/05/2000

Exploring Comet Tails

Exploring Comet Tails

13/04/2000

The Local Bubble and the Galactic Neighborhood

The Local Bubble and the Galactic Neighborhood

12/04/2000

The Local Interstellar Cloud

The Local Interstellar Cloud

11/04/2000

Aurora in Red and Yellow

Aurora in Red and Yellow

10/04/2000

Venus, Moon, and Neighbors

Venus, Moon, and Neighbors

06/04/2000

A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence

A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence

03/04/2000

Free-Floating Planets In Orion

Free-Floating Planets In Orion

31/03/2000

Flying Over Asteroid Eros

Flying Over Asteroid Eros

27/03/2000

Mercury on the Horizon

Mercury on the Horizon

20/03/2000

A Wind From The Sun

A Wind From The Sun

18/03/2000

Sun Storm: A Coronal Mass Ejection

Sun Storm: A Coronal Mass Ejection

09/03/2000

Saturn At Night

Saturn At Night

04/03/2000

Julius Caesar and Leap Days

Julius Caesar and Leap Days

29/02/2000

The Comets Of SOHO

The Comets Of SOHO

25/02/2000

Stereo Eros

Stereo Eros

24/02/2000

Sunspot Seething

Sunspot Seething

23/02/2000

Southwest Mercury

Southwest Mercury

13/02/2000

Eros Encounter Nears

Eros Encounter Nears

10/02/2000

Natural Saturn On The Cassini Cruise

Natural Saturn On The Cassini Cruise

29/01/2000

Astronomy From An F-18

Astronomy From An F-18

28/01/2000