The Sun
- Why is the Sun round?
- Will the Sun ever stop shining?
- What happens during a solar eclipse?
- Why are sunspots darker than the rest of the Sun?
- How big is a sunspot?
- Why does the Sun have spots?
- Does the Sun move in space?
- Does the Sun spin?
- How far away is the Sun?
- How hot is the Sun?
- Is the Sun the largest star?
- How large is the Sun compared to Earth?
- What is the Sun made of?
- How long has the Sun been shining?
- How does the Sun shine?
- What is the Sun?
See Also
How Old Is the Sun?The Sun is a huge, glowing sphere of hot gas. Most of this gas is hydrogen (about 70%) and helium (about 28%). Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen make up 1.5% and the other 0.5% is made up of small amounts of many other elements such as neon, iron, silicon, magnesium and sulfur. The Sun shines because it is turning hydrogen into helium via the process of nuclear fusion in its extremely hot core. This means that as time goes on, the Sun has less hydrogen and more helium. For more about nuclear fusion and how the Sun shines, see Spitzer's IRrelevant Astronomy video Fission vs. Fusion.
