Sun

Explanation

A false-colour image of the Sun photographed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory of NASA on 1^st June 2016 using its Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, using the 304 wavelength channel.

The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system, which makes up the 99.86% mass of the solar system. The Sun, which is powered by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms at its core, serves as the primary source of energy for the life on Earth. The mass of this dwarf star is 1.98892 × 10³⁰ kg, which is often used as a reference mass (as solar mass M_⊙) to measure the mass of other stars in the universe. The Sun's current diameter 1.3914 × 10⁶ km. Every object in our solar system orbits around the Sun due to its gravity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes up the energy in the Sun?

Roughly 4.6 billion years ago, when the sun started forming out of the collapsed gasses from the solar nebula, the high-density region in the centre created a region of high pressure and high temperature. As the abundant element in that solar nebula was hydrogen, the pressure and temperature led to the nuclear fusion of those atoms, giving out a massive amount of energy and forming helium atoms. This process is common to all stars, and this is how the Sun is powered too.

How is the Sun losing its mass?

As the Sun is converting mass to into energy in its core. This is the primarily the way in which the Sun is losing its mass. Another way is from the solar winds that release protons, electrons and helium nuclei from the surface of the Sun. The Sun is losing its mass at the rate of 4.2 x 10⁹ kg per second.

What are solar flares?

Solar flares are the sudden bright and strong bursts of electromagnetic radiation that frequently occurs on the surface of the Sun.

How solar flares work?

Solar flares mainly occur due to the change and reconnection of the magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun or the photosphere. When different magnetic fields interact and recombine with one another, massive and bright bursts of electromagnetic radiation erupts. A solar flare usually travels at the speed of light and hence it is quicker than a coronal mass ejection. Though solar flares are usually attributed to the magnetic fields on the photosphere, they are one of the solar phenomena that are still studied in-depth for a better understanding.

What is a coronal rain?

A coronal rain is a phenomenon observed on the surface of the sun, precisely in the corona where the hot plasma condenses and gets attracted by the magnetic fields, thus falling back to the photosphere of the Sun.