Fun Fact 2: The Sun measures approximately 1,392,684 km (865,374 mi) in diameter; which is about 109 times greater than the diameter of Earth
Fun Fact 3: The Sun formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago. It is made of different gasses; mainly hydrogen (72%) and helium (27%)
Fun Fact 4: The surface of the sun has a temperature of around 5,500°C (10,000°F)
Fun Fact 5: The Sun is located at the centre of the Solar System. The Solar System is made of the Sun, eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) moons, comets and asteroids
Fun Fact 6: The Sun is large compared to most planets; it accounts for over 99% of the total mass in the Solar System; it is so large that around 1,000 000 Earths could fit inside it!
Fun Fact 7: Is the Sun in the Milky Way? The Sun is situated in our solar system which lies close to the outer edge of one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms (Orion Arm) - we are about 25,000 light years from the centre of the Milky Way
Fun Fact 8: Two forms of energy are supplied by the Sun; heat and light. All living things on Earth need heat and light to survive; without the Sun, Earth would perish
Fun Fact 9: What is solar power? Solar power is the name of the energy created by capturing the sun's rays, in modern times solar power is used to create electricity. Energy is collected in solar cells (photovoltaic cells) and used to power many things; from calculators and houses to space stations and spacecraft!
Fun Fact 10: The Sun is so far away from Earth that rays of sunlight travel for approximately 8 minutes before they can be seen approaching Earth!
Fun Fact 11: The Solar System is made up of the Sun, Moon, eight planets and various moons, comets and asteroids which are bound by the Sun's gravity; the Sun is positioned in the middle and the planets travel in circular paths (orbit) around it. The Earth takes about one year (or precisely 365¼) days to completely orbit the sun
Fun Fact 12: The surface of the Sun has a few dark areas, these cooler, magnetic regions have a lower temperature than other areas of the sun; they are called Sunspots
Fun Fact 13: Throughout the year the earth moves closer to the Sun, Earth is at it's closest to the sun around January 2, it is farthest away around July 2 of each year
Fun Fact 14: If the moon moves between the Sun and the Earth the sunlight is blocked; this called an eclipse. Most eclipses are partial a total eclipse occurs when the moon completely covers the sun; resulting few minutes of dark sky during daylight
Fun Fact 15: WARNING! Never look at the sun directly, direct sunlight can cause permanent damage to your eyes! |
