The Sun
The Sun is a star at the centre of the Solar System that provides the light and heat that make life on Earth possible.
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The Sun is a star at the centre of the Solar System that provides the light and heat that make life on Earth possible.
- Fusion powers the Sun
- Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth
- The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Sun?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains The Sun. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain The Sun in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Sun helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
The Sun in detail
The Sun is a medium-sized star at the centre of the Solar System, holding 99.8% of its mass. It is a ball of hot gas, mostly hydrogen (about 73%) and helium, with a core temperature of about 15 million °C where nuclear fusion turns hydrogen into helium and releases enormous energy.
That energy travels outward and reaches Earth as light and heat after about 8 minutes, powering the weather, ocean currents and photosynthesis. The surface (photosphere) is about 5,500 °C, with sunspots, flares and a solar wind of charged particles that can cause auroras and disrupt satellites. The Sun is about halfway through a 10-billion-year lifetime.
How the interactive helps you understand The Sun
Watch the energy stores in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the energy stores responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Sun.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain how The Sun affects the landscape or climate near you.
- Link The Sun to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
- Use a diagram of The Sun to describe the steps of a process in order.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Sun
What is The Sun?
The Sun is a star at the centre of the Solar System that provides the light and heat that make life on Earth possible.
What are the most important points about The Sun?
The main points are: Fusion powers the Sun; Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth; The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old.
Why is The Sun useful?
Understanding The Sun helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise The Sun?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Sun?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Seasons and Earth's Orbit, Galaxies and the Universe, Structure of the Earth.