Facts On The Sun - Interesting bits of information
Have you ever been interested in learning some facts on the sun? Have you ever wondered about what it is made up of, what its temperature is, what kind of star it is? Read on for facts on the sun.
Facts on the sun state that it is the center of Earth’s solar system. The Earth and other planets and matter orbit around it. Energy from it, which occurs in the form of sunlight supports almost all life on Earth.
Some more facts on the sun state that about seventy four percent of its mass is hydrogen, and twenty five perfect is helium. The rest is made up of small traces of heavier contents. Facts on the sun state that it is about 4.6 billion years old. It is a magnetically active star which supports a strong magnetic field.
Facts on the sun also tell us that it is a third generation star. It is believed that its formation was triggered by shockwaves from a nearby supernova. It is a near perfect sphere. While it does not rotate as a solid body, it takes approximately 28 days for it to complete a full rotation. It does not have a defined boundary as other rocky planets do. The density of its gases drop with further distance from it.
More facts on the sun tell us that at its center, its density can reach up to 150,000 kg. The core extends from the center of it to about .2 solar radii, and it’s the only part where a large amount of heat is produced by fusion. The visible surface of it, which is also called the photosphere, is the layer where it becomes opaque to light. Above this visible surface, sunlight propagates into space and its energy leaves it entirely.
The parts of it that are above the photosphere are what is called the solar atmosphere. They are usually viewed with telescopes and are broken down into five zones: the temperature minimum, the chromosphere, the transition region, the corona and the heliosphere.
As we search for more facts on the sun. we learn that when it is being observed with the appropriate devices, the features that are visible almost immediately are the sunspots. These are well defined areas that appear darker than the surroundings which is due to them having lower temperatures.
Sunlight is extremely bright and it is highly advised against looking directly at it because it can be very painful. Looking at it for long periods of time can cause temporary partial blindness. Not only that, it can slightly heat the retina in your eye and possibly damage it.