The center of the Solar system – Sun

The sun is the primary cause that space weather exists in our Solar system. Without the sun, there would be no warmth or heat in our system. 

Mercury, although being the nearest planet to the sun, is not the hottest. Our Solar system‘s hottest planet is Venus. There would have been no life on our planet, Earth if it hadn’t been for the sun. Because the sun contains 99 per cent of all mass in our Solar system, it is able to exert such a huge gravitational force on other planets due to its sheer bulk. Let’s take a closer look at the sun, the sole star in our Solar system.

Some important facts about the Sun: 

• As the sun is many light-years away, even if it was to die today, there would still be light on earth for many years to come.  
• The sun is estimated to be around 30,000 light-years away from the center of our galaxy, which is called the milky way. 
• The sun is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Hydrogen accounts for approximately 70% of the sun’s composition, and helium accounts for approximately 27% of its composition.  
• The Milky way galaxy has around 200 billion stars present in it, and the sun is the only star present in our Solar system.  
• The sun is called the star of the second generation. It was born some 4.5 billion years ago.  
• The sun is said to be formed when a nebula collapses under the force of its own gravity. This event gave birth to many celestial bodies, such as the sun.  
• The sun is the primary reason why chemical reactions happen on all the planets in our Solar systems, such as Saturn and Jupiter.  

Characteristics of the Sun: 

• The energy created by the sun is formed through a basic chemical principle called nuclear fusion. This energy is further created into heat and light, which provides illumination in our Solar system. Other celestial objects such as the planets and moons reflect the light of the sun, and that’s the primary reason we can see them. Without the sun, there would be no illumination on our planet, and temperatures would be extremely cold. Such an atmosphere would not be habitable, and no life would exist on our planet.  
• The core of the sun is extremely hot, temperatures reaching millions of degrees Celsius. The core is the part of the sun where hydrogen is turned into helium through chemical reactions.  
• The eclipse of the sun is a beautiful yet scary event that happens every few years. This happens when our moon, the sun, and the earth are aligned in a straight line. The moon eclipses the sun, and for a few minutes, there is no light present on the earth. This shadow might only be a few hundred miles long but is a celebrated event worldwide. Many humans from all across the globe travel to witness the solar eclipse.

Conclusion 

The sun is the primary reason our planet has life present on it. We are situated just the right distance away from the sun to have appropriate temperatures in which life and organisms can thrive and grow. Furthermore, without the sun, we would have no visibility in our Solar system or on our planet. It is the only illuminating object present in our Solar system. The sun’s original light is white, but we perceive it to be yellow and sometimes red. This happens because our atmosphere scatters light making the sun look yellow or even reddish at times. The sun is an average-sized star which is quite common in our galaxy.