10 Sun Facts to Light Up Your Life

Without the sun, human life would not exist on Earth. Despite its important influence on our day-to-day lives, many of us know very little about the largest object in our solar system. It’s time to change that and read the following 10 interesting facts about the sun.

1. The Sun and the Moon

The sun and the moon look near enough identical in size in Earth’s sky, as the sun is 400x bigger than the moon but 400x further away from our planet’s satellite.

2. Earth’s Satellites

Earth satellites must complete an orbit of the planet within seven months, or they will fall out of Earth’s orbit and will orbit the sun, as a result.

3. Sun’s Colour

The colour of the sun is actually white, despite the fact that it is often viewed as yellow. Many view the sun as yellow due to the atmospheric scattering of blue light.

4. The Red Giant

The sun is 4.6 million years old and is in the middle of its life – based on the lifespan of a G2 star. One day it will become a Red Giant and will engulf planet Earth. Don’t worry, though; it won’t happen for another 5.4 billion years.

5. 109 Planet Earths

It is thought that 109 planet Earths would fit on the sun’s surface, whilst more than one million Earth could fit inside of the sun.

6. Human Weight

A person who weighs 150 pounds on Earth would weigh 4,200 pounds on the sun, as the sun’s gravity is 20 times that of our planet.

7. Orbit

Each and every planet orbit the sun in the same direction, counter clockwise, and on the same plane, which is known as ecliptic.

8. The Sun’s Composition

The sun is, currently, made up from approximately 75% hydrogen and 23% helium, whilst the other 2% is made us from various metals. The sun will continue to burn hydrogen at its core for 5 billion years, but will then switch its primary fuel to helium.

9. The White Dwarf

After the Red Giant phase, the sun will most likely collapse. While it will retain its mass, she will become the approximate value of plaenet Earth and will be known as a whife dwarf. There are currently 8 white dwarfs in our solar system, and they are mostly composed of electron-degenerate matter.

10. Sunlight

It takes approximately eight minutes and 20 seconds for light from the sun to reach Earth, which travels at 300,000 kilometres per second.

Would you like to learn more about the solar system? Read 10 Far Out Space Facts You Won’t Believe.