THE SUN

Billions of stars are scattered throughout the universe. The one at the center of the solar system plays a special role for us here on Earth.

Our Sun formed about 4.5 billion years ago in the milky way galaxy’s Orion spur. it was born when a cloud of dust and gas known as solar nebulae collapsed. And in the middle of this formation that are condensed in to a burning ball of gas that became our Sun.

The Sun’s fiery nature along with the tremendous gravitational pull and an extensive magnetic field helped it to become the heart of our solar system.

The Sun can be divided  into six layers of regions. The corona, the chromospheres, the photosphere, the convective and radioactive zones and the core. In terms of Adam count, the Sun is about 91% hydrogen: the Sun’s fuel, 8.9% helium and .1% heavier elements such as carbon and nitrogen. Due to the Sun’s extreme temperature, these elements will stay in a gas like state called plasma.

In the core, temperature reaching at least 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Combined with the Sun’s powerful gravity fused together hydrogen molecules to create helium called thermonuclear fusion. This releases an enormous amount of energy in the form of radiation, electricity, solar wind and as we experience on earth, life giving heat and light.

It is strong enough to hold the solar system  intact and is primarily due to the Sun’s size and mass. Our Sun is the largest and most massive object in the solar system. It is more than hundred Earth’s wide and could theoretically fit all eight planets inside nearly six hundred times. It also contain approximately  99.8% of all the masses in the solar system. Because of this mass, the Sun has a great pull on the fabric of space, creating a gravitational force that causes nearby   planetary bodies to be drawn towards it. This gravitational pull allows the Sun to hold together a system of eight planets, potentially dozens of dwarf planets at least 170 moons and countless comets and asteroids. Without the Sun’s gravity these celestial bodies would drift off into deep space.

Another critical property of Sun is its magnetic field which encapsulate the entire solar system called the heliosphere. This force field protects the planets from harmful cosmic radiations. It is caused by the Sun’s plasma pushing electrically charged particles towards the solar poles. This process turns the Sun in to a giant magnet. Although the Sun’s magnetic field is invisible to the naked eyes, its effects are noticeable. On the Sun’s surface, the dark areas are called Sun spots which marks strong magnetism.

On Earth and on some of the other planets, the Sun’s magnetic field interacts with their atmosphere resulting in beautiful auroras. Despite its size and strength, the Sun will not last forever. In about 6.5 billion years, it will run out of its hydrogen expand to envelop mercury. Then it will collapse in to a small star known as white dwarf.

In the mean time, the Sun will continue to play a critical role in the system  that bears its name. The Sun’s protected magnetic field, tremendous gravitational pull and ability to create vast amount of energy will protect, contain and give life to our solar system.