Facts About The Sun. The Sun is a star found at the of the Solar System. It makes up around % of the Solar System s mass.

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1 Facts About is a star found at the of the Solar System. It makes up around % of the Solar System s mass. At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Sun s is about 110 times wider than Earth s. Around 74% of the Sun s mass is made up of. Helium makes up around 24% while heavier elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron and neon make up the remaining percentage. Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around minutes. s surface temperature is around _ degrees Celsius (9941 degrees Fahrenheit), so pack plenty of sunscreen if you plan on visiting (remembering that the average distance from the Sun to the Earth is around 150 million kilometers). s is around degrees Celsius! generates huge amounts of energy by combining hydrogen nuclei into helium. This process is called nuclear. Because of the Sun s huge influence on Earth, many early cultures saw the Sun as a. For example, Ancient Egyptians had a sun god called Ra while in Aztec mythology there is a sun god named Tonatiuh. produces a solar _ which contains charged particles such as electrons and protons. They escape the Sun s intense gravity because of their high kinetic energy and the high temperature of the Sun s corona (a type of plasma atmosphere that extends into space). Planets with strong fields such as Earth manage to deflect most of these charged particles as they approach. A solar occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth.

2 Name Read the passage and answer the questions. The sun is a hot glowing ball of gas, our star, in the center of the solar system. Although the sun is very special to us, it is not unique in the universe. It is a common middle-sized star. The sun is made out of mostly hydrogen and helium. The sun is about 93 million miles away from Earth. The temperature at the core of the sun is approximately 25 million degrees Fahrenheit. In the core, fusion is taking place; this is the process that creates all that energy and heat. The energy and heat that we get from the sun makes all life on earth possible. All of the planets in the Milky Way, our solar system, orbit around this very important star. 1. How far is the sun from the Earth? 2. What causes the sun to be so hot? 3. What is the temperature at the core of the sun? 4. What would happen to our planet if there were no sun? 5. What is the sun made of?

3 Facts About is a star found at the center of the Solar System. It makes up around 99.86% of the Solar System s mass. At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Sun s diameter is about 110 times wider than Earth s. Around 74% of the Sun s mass is made up of hydrogen. Helium makes up around 24% while heavier elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron and neon make up the remaining percentage. Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around 8 minutes. s surface temperature is around 5500 degrees Celsius (9941 degrees Fahrenheit), so pack plenty of sunscreen if you plan on visiting (remembering that the average distance from the Sun to the Earth is around 150 million kilometers). s core is around degrees Celsius! generates huge amounts of energy by combining hydrogen nuclei into helium. This process is called nuclear fusion. Because of the Sun s huge influence on Earth, many early cultures saw the Sun as a god. For example, Ancient Egyptians had a sun god called Ra while in Aztec mythology there is a sun god named Tonatiuh. produces a solar wind which contains charged particles such as electrons and protons. They escape the Sun s intense gravity because of their high kinetic energy and the high temperature of the Sun s corona (a type of plasma atmosphere that extends into space). Planets with strong magnetic fields such as Earth manage to deflect most of these charged particles as they approach. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth.

4 Name Date Class The Solar System Guide for Reading What are the three layers of the sun s interior? What are the three layers of the sun s atmosphere? What features form on or above the sun s surface? The sun s mass is 99.8 percent of all the mass in the solar system. Because the sun is so large, its gravity is strong enough to hold all of the planets and other distant objects in orbit. Unlike Earth, the sun does not have a solid surface. Like Earth, the sun has an interior and an atmosphere. The sun s interior consists of the core, radiation zone, and convection zone. Each layer has different properties. The sun produces an enormous amount of energy in its core, or central region. The sun s energy comes from nuclear fusion. In the process of nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms in the sun join to form helium. The light and heat produced by the sun s core first pass through the middle layer of the sun s interior, the radiation zone. The radiation zone is a region of very tightly packed gas where energy is transferred mainly in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The convection zone is the outermost layer of the sun s interior. Hot gases rise from the bottom of the convection zone and gradually cool as they approach the top. Cooler gases sink, forming loops of gas that move heat toward the sun s surface. The sun s atmosphere consists of the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona. The inner layer of the sun s atmosphere is called the photosphere. Photo means light, so the photosphere is the sphere that gives off visible light. At the beginning and end of a solar eclipse, you can see a reddish glow around the photosphere. This glow comes from the middle layer of the sun s atmosphere, the chromosphere. Chromo means color, so the chromosphere is the color sphere. During a total solar eclipse, a fainter layer called the corona is visible. The corona sends out a stream of electrically charged particles called solar wind. Features on or above the sun s surface include sunspots, prominences, and solar flares. Sunspots are areas of gas on the sun that are cooler than the gas around them. Sunspots usually occur in groups. Reddish loops of gas called prominences link different parts of sunspot regions. Sometimes the loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect, releasing large amounts of energy. The energy heats gas on the sun to millions of degrees Celsius, causing the gas to explode into space. These explosions are known as solar flares. Solar flares can greatly increase the solar wind.

5 Name Date Class The Solar System Understanding Main Ideas Label the diagram of the sun below Building Vocabulary Match each term with its description by writing the letter of the correct description in the right column on the line next to the term in the left column. 7. solar flare 8. core 9. chromosphere 10. sunspot 11. corona 12. nuclear fusion 13. photosphere 14. solar wind 15. prominence 16. radiation zone 17. convection zone a. the layer of the sun s atmosphere that gives off visible light b. the layer of the sun s atmosphere that has a reddish glow c. the layer of the sun s atmosphere that looks like a halo during an eclipse d. areas of gas on the sun s surface that are cooler than the gases around them e. reddish loops of gas that link parts of sunspot regions f. eruptions that occur when the loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect g. a stream of charged particles produced by the corona h. the center of the sun i. the outermost layer of the sun s interior j. the joining of hydrogen atoms to form helium k. the layer of the sun s interior where energy is transferred mainly by electromagnetic radiation