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"

GRB Fireball Persists

GRB Fireball Persists

17/09/1997

Kepler Discovers How Planets Move

Kepler Discovers How Planets Move

13/09/1997

A Green Flash from the Sun

A Green Flash from the Sun

09/09/1997

Rivers in the Sun

Rivers in the Sun

04/09/1997

A Partial Eclipse in Southern Skies

A Partial Eclipse in Southern Skies

03/09/1997

Dark Sky, Bright Sun

Dark Sky, Bright Sun

02/09/1997

Infrared Helix

Infrared Helix

01/09/1997

Cassini To Saturn

Cassini To Saturn

29/08/1997

A Fleeting Eclipse

A Fleeting Eclipse

27/08/1997

IP Pegasi: Spiral Star

IP Pegasi: Spiral Star

22/08/1997

A Hale-Bopp Triple Crown

A Hale-Bopp Triple Crown

23/07/1997

Mars: Yogi And Friends In 3D

Mars: Yogi And Friends In 3D

16/07/1997

NEAR Mathilde

NEAR Mathilde

30/06/1997

Mars: Just The Facts

Mars: Just The Facts

27/06/1997

A Close Encounter of the Stellar Kind

A Close Encounter of the Stellar Kind

26/06/1997

HH1/HH2: Star Jets

HH1/HH2: Star Jets

19/06/1997

Asteroid 3753: Earth's Curious Companion

Asteroid 3753: Earth's Curious Companion

18/06/1997

Hale-Bopp Above the Cinqui Torri Mountains

Hale-Bopp Above the Cinqui Torri Mountains

10/06/1997

M101: An Ultraviolet View Credit:

M101: An Ultraviolet View
Credit:

08/06/1997

Small Star Credit:

Small Star
Credit:

05/06/1997

Southern Neptune

Southern Neptune

29/05/1997

Mars: Just The Fiction

Mars: Just The Fiction

28/05/1997

Old Faithful Meets Hale-Bopp

Old Faithful Meets Hale-Bopp

26/05/1997

Hale-Bopp's Fickle Ion Tail

Hale-Bopp's Fickle Ion Tail

14/05/1997

M42: A Mosaic of Orion's Great Nebula

M42: A Mosaic of Orion's Great Nebula

11/05/1997

Ultraviolet Venus Credit:

Ultraviolet Venus
Credit:

07/05/1997

Big Sky Comet Credit and Copyright:

Big Sky Comet 
Credit and Copyright:

21/04/1997

Pwyll: Icy Crater of Europa Credit:

Pwyll: Icy Crater of Europa 
Credit:

17/04/1997

A Star Cluster Through Hale-Bopp's Tail Credit and Copyright:

A Star Cluster Through Hale-Bopp's Tail 
Credit and Copyright:

16/04/1997

Hale-Bopp and Plateau de Bure Interferometer Credit and Copyright:

Hale-Bopp and Plateau de Bure Interferometer 
Credit and Copyright:

15/04/1997