Characteristics of the Sun

The Sun is our planet’s primary source of heat and light. It is made up of various gases (73% Hydrogen, 25% Helium, and 2% other elements).
The Sun is a medium-sized star that produces its own energy.
Like Earth, the Sun is composed of different layers and has a spherical shape

Cooler areas on the Sun appear darker. These darker areas are called sunspots.

Galileo Galilei concluded that the Sun rotates around its axis as a result of his observation that the spots on the Sun were changing places.

The Sun should not be viewed with the naked eye or through binoculars, lenses, or telescopes.
Sunlight can damage the eyes and cause serious eye problems. To prevent this, use glasses or devices with special filters when viewing the Sun.

The Sun should not be viewed with the naked eye or through binoculars, lenses, or telescopes.
Sunlight can damage the eyes and cause serious eye problems. To prevent this, use glasses or devices with special filters when viewing the Sun.

• From Earth, the Sun and Moon appear to be almost the same size. However, the Sun is much larger than the Moon. This is because of their different distances from Earth.
• Objects appear smaller as they move away from the observer. Although the Sun is much larger than the Moon, it appears to be the same size because it is farther from Earth.
• EXTRA INFORMATION: Although the Sun is a medium-sized star, the reason why other stars appear smaller is that larger stars are farther from the Earth.

The properties of the Sun are as follows.

• The sun is made up of gases.
• The Sun consists mostly of hydrogen gas.
• It contains 71% Hydrogen, 26.5% Helium, and 2.5% other gases.

The Sun’s Layers:
Like Earth, the Sun is composed of layers.
These layers can be divided into two: the inner layers and the solar atmosphere.

B- Properties of the Sun

1. The sun is made up of gases.
2. The Sun is located at the centre of the Solar system.
3. It is the largest celestial body in the solar system.
4. Because the Sun is a large celestial body, its gravitational pull is greater than that of other planets.
5. The shape of the sun is a sphere. Its shape is round like a ball.
6. The sun is our source of heat and light.
7. It is one of the 200,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
8. The Sun orbits the Milky Way galaxy.
9. The Sun is a medium-sized star.
10. 10. Its distance from Earth is approximately 150 million kilometers.
11. The Sun is 5 billion years old.
12. The Sun was formed from clouds of gas and dust.
13. The sun emits white light.
14. The Sun rotates around its axis and moves around the Milky Way galaxy.
15. It completes one rotation around its axis in 25 days.
16. The sun rotates on its axis from west to east (counterclockwise).
17. The diameter of the Sun is 109 times that of the Earth.
18. The temperature of the Sun is 6,000 degrees Celsius at its surface and 15 million degrees Celsius at its core. (Approximate values)
19. The Sun, like other stars, is born, grows, and when its energy runs out, it will die.
20. There are relatively cold areas on the Sun’s surface. These areas  are called sunspots  .
21. Galileo Galilei was the first person to observe sunspots with a telescope he built  .
22. Galileo Galilei discovered that the Sun rotates on its axis by observing the movement of sunspots.
23. Thanks to the explosions occurring on the Sun, a lot of energy is spread around.

C- Importance of the Sun

• Living things need the Sun to survive. We obtain most of the energy we use from the Sun.

• A very small portion of the energy emitted from the Sun reaches the Earth.

• The Sun’s energy hasn’t been depleted for billions of years. The Sun’s lifespan will end when the hydrogen gases in its structure run out. This energy is generated by the conversion of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms within the Sun.  

• Along with beneficial rays, the sun also provides harmful rays. These harmful rays can harm living things.

• Explosions occurring on the Sun affect communication tools (Radio, television) and cause communication to be disrupted.

D- Solar Model

The size of objects is perceived differently depending on the distance they are viewed from.
The farther away they are, the smaller they appear. This is called the perspective effect.

Because the Sun is so far from Earth, the Moon and the Sun appear to be the same size. The Sun is larger than both the Earth and the Moon.

• Approximately 1,300,000 Earths could fit inside the Sun.
• The diameter of the Earth is 4 times the diameter of the Moon, the diameter of the Sun is 109 times the diameter of the Earth.
• When we create the Earth, Sun and Moon model, the radius of the Moon should be approximately 1 cm. When we create the model, the Earth should be made 4 cm and the Sun should be made approximately 400 cm in size.
• If we draw the Sun the size of a football, we should draw the Earth the size of half a grain of rice.

Note:  Viewing the Sun with the naked eye is harmful to your eyes. Also, do not use binoculars, telescopes, lenses, or cameras. Sun observation should be done through a filtered telescope.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

He observed sunspots by projecting them onto paper using a telescope he invented. He observed that the sunspots rotated counterclockwise. He stated that the sun’s motion, triggered by the sunspots, rotated on its axis.

Extra Information

 The Sun’s Layers: Like Earth, the Sun has layers and an atmosphere. From its center outward, the Sun’s layers are the core, photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. The photosphere, chromosphere, and corona make up the Sun’s atmosphere.

corona make up the Sun’s atmosphere.

 The core is very dense and very hot, reaching a temperature of 15.6 million °C. 

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