THE SUN
THE SUN
The Sun is the star at the centre of our Solar System. Our single-star system is unusual, because the majority of stars in our Galaxy are either double- or triple-star systems.
From time to time, the Sun discharges enormous amounts of matter and energy. In August 2012, this Coronal Mass Ejection was observed.
Image credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), NASA.
Sun Facts
Diameter: 1,393,684 kilometres (1 million, 393 thousand, 684 kilometres), or 865,374 miles (865 thousand, 374 miles)
Earth masses: 333,000
Surface temperature: 5,500 degrees Celsius, or 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Core temperature: 15,000,000 degrees Celsius, or 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Distance from Earth (approximate): 149,600,000 kilometres (149 million, 600 thousand kilometres), or 93,000,000 miles (93 million miles)
Distance from the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy: 250,000,000,000,000,000 kilometres (250 quadrillion kilometres), or 155,000,000,000,000,000 miles (155 quadrillion miles)
Orbital velocity around centre of Milky Way Galaxy: 220 kilometres per second
During a solar eclipse, the outer atmosphere of the Sun known as the corona, becomes visible. A solar eclipse occurs when our Moon, passes directly in front of the Sun.
Image Credit: Luc Viatour.