The Sun
Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling.
Walt Whitman
The Sun's energy is the principal driver of all of Earth's atmospheric events, from weather patterns in the lower layers, through auroras in the upper layers, to the space weather environment of energetic particles at the altitudes of orbiting satellites. The energy originates from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in the Sun's core (nucleosynthesis). Over millions of years, the energy is transported outward to the visible surface, where it is radiated into space.
The Sun contains the vast majority of all matter within our solar system. It is mostly hydrogen, with some helium and smaller amounts of other elements. The visible surface of the Sun is called the photosphere. The Sun's atmosphere has two transparent layers. The chromosphere is just above the photosphere. The corona is the outer part of the Sun's atmosphere. In the outer region of the corona, particles travel away from the Sun and stretch far out into space. The chromosphere and corona can only be seen during solar eclipses, or with instruments that simulate a solar eclipse. The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft is currently in position at the L1 point. Once of its instruments, LASCO, is a visible-light coronagraph, a device that blocks the bright light from the Sun's surface, allowing the details in the corona to be clearly seen. In one of LASCO's images of activity on the Sun, shown here, blobs of plasma (the solar wind stream) can be seen to be emitted from the Sun. Image courtesy of SOHO/LASCO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
To learn a lot more about the Sun, check out our question and answer page on the Sun in our "Ask Us" feature. Even more about the Sun:
Myths about the Sun -- Windows to the Universe
Sun -- Windows to the Universe The Sun as Art -- SOHO The HeliosphereSolar WindThe Sun's Magnetic FieldSolar ActivityThe Earth's MagnetosphereSolar Energetic Particles (Solar Cosmic Rays)The Sun in the News:
August 8, 2009: Diamonds in a
cloudy sky -- APOD
August 6, 2009: Long debate ended over cause, demise of ice ages -- may also help predict future -- Eurekalert August 4, 2009: A triple sunrise over Gdansk Bay -- APOD July 30, 2009: 6 minutes 42 seconds -- APOD July 27, 2009: Living in a dying solar system, Part 1 -- Astrobiology July 26, 2009: The big corona -- APOD July 24, 2009: Eclipse over Chongqing, China -- APOD July 23, 2009: Eclipse shadows southeastern China -- NASA Earth Observatory July 22, 2009: Solar eclipse video: Century's longest, caught on film -- National Geographic July 20, 2009: Longest solar eclipse of the 21st century -- Science@NASA July 20, 2009: NASA's 'Mr. Eclipse' retires but still chasing shadows -- NASA July 18, 2009: Planets, Great Wall, and solar eclipse -- APOD July 3, 2009: Perihelion and aphelion -- APOD June 30, 2009: Ulysses: 12 extra months of valuable science -- ESA June 30, 2009: Solar ghosts may haunt Earth's radioactive atoms -- New Scientist June 26, 2009: Solstice to solstice solargraph -- APOD June 21, 2009: Sunrise over the Parthenon -- APOD June 18, 2009: The eclipse in history -- ESA June 10, 2009: Caltech visiting associate champions the study of solar eclipses in the modern era -- Caltech June 1, 2009: Why are we moving away from the Sun? -- Sky & Telescope May 29, 2009: World's largest solar telescope now operational -- Astronomy.com May 28, 2009: Einstein's general theory of relativity: Celebrating the 20th century's most important experiment -- Science Daily May 18, 2009: The Sun is burning -- HEAPOW April 17, 2009: Discovered after 40 years: Moon dust hazard influenced by Sun's elevation -- AGU April 17, 2009: Medieval astronomy from Melk Abbey -- APOD April 15, 2009: Major utility company makes agreement for space-based solar power -- Universe Today March 23, 2009: SPICE will measure Sun's plasma properties -- Astronomy.com March 23, 2009: New Sun-watching instrument to monitor sunlight fluctuations -- NASA March 22, 2009: Sungrazer -- APOD March 20, 2009: Sunspots at solar maximum and minimum -- NASA's Earth Observatory March 20, 2009: Sunset at the Portara -- APOD March 20, 2009: Researchers reveal why Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface -- CORDIS March 20, 2009: Scientists find giant solar twists -- Astronomy.com March 10, 2009: Join NASA in celebrating Sun-Earth Day 2009 -- NASA February 25, 2009: Otherworldly solar eclipse -- Science@NASA February 5, 2009: Natural solar collectors on butterfly wings inspire more powerful solar cells -- Science Daily February 4, 2009: How will the Solar System end? -- New Scientist February 4, 2009: Is the Roman Pantheon a colossal sundial? -- New Scientist January 29, 2009: Eclipse shirt 2009 -- APOD January 28, 2009: A partial eclipse over Manila Bay -- APOD January 28, 2009: How will the Solar System end? -- New Scientist January 25, 2009: Annular eclipse: The ring of fire -- APOD January 15, 2009: Suspension bridge solargraph -- APOD January 15, 2009: Double sun dog dazzles icy Omaha -- National Geographic December 21, 2008: Analemma over the Porch of Maidens -- APOD December 20, 2008: Solstice at Newgrange -- APOD December 15, 2008: A Sun pillar over North Carolina -- APOD November 17, 2008: Sun shines on future Mars colonies -- New Scientist October 24, 2008: Using sunlight more efficiently -- AIP October 23, 2008: COROT directly sees 'sun-quakes' in other stars for the first time -- ESA October 20, 2008: How does solar power work? -- Scientific American October 2, 2008: NASA spacecraft finds the Sun is not a perfect sphere -- NASA September 22, 2008: Equinox: The Sun from solstice to solstice -- APOD September 20, 2008: A darkened sky -- APOD September 17, 2008: Immigrant Sun -- Astronomy.com September 9, 2008: Solar shift -- Astrobiology Magazine September 8, 2008: The Sun will eventually engulf Earth -- maybe -- Scientific American August 31, 2008: Eclipse over the Great Wall -- APOD August 21, 2008: August moons -- APOD August 19, 2008: Chemist travels world to study mysterious properties of neutrinos -- Brookhaven National Lab August 18, 2008: Baily's beads near solar eclipse totality -- APOD August 8, 2008: The crown of the sun -- APOD August 7, 2008: At the sun's edge -- APOD August 5, 2008: A total solar eclipse over China -- APOD August 5, 2008: Eclipse darkens NW China, a week before Olympics -- Scientific American August 2, 2008: Eclipse shirt -- APOD August 1, 2008: Eclipse blankets Russia; thousands watch in awe -- Scientific American July 31, 2008: A brief history of solar sails -- Science@NASA July 31, 2008: Eclipse expert makes hot finds in sun's darkest hour -- National Geographic July 31, 2008: Solar-cell material can soak up more sun -- New Scientist July 30, 2008: Voyaging to the stars on a solar breeze -- Scientific American July 29, 2008: Partial eclipse, total fun -- Science@NASA July 22, 2008: Total solar eclipse on August 1: Where, how to see it -- National Geographic July 10, 2008: Science: Simple, inexpensive solar energy from light-absorbing dyes -- AAAS July 9, 2008: Study puts solar spin on asteroids, their moons, and Earth impacts -- University of Maryland June 23, 2008: Ancient eclipse found in "The Odyssey", scientists say -- National Geographic June 1, 2008: How to harvest solar power? Beam it down from space! -- CNN May 31, 2008: A view to the sunset -- APOD May 29, 2008: A fog bow over Ocean Beach -- APOD May 29, 2008: Warm coronal loops offer clue to mysteriously hot solar atmosphere -- NASA GSFC May 22, 2008: Sun's properties not 'fine-tuned' for life -- New Scientist May 20, 2008: The enigmatic sun: A crucible for new physics -- CERN May 16, 2008: Circles in the sky -- APOD May 6, 2008: Chasing the green flash -- Astronomy.com May 4, 2008: An Antarctic total solar eclipse -- APOD April 18, 2008: Solar flares set the sun quaking -- ESA April 4, 2008: Medical x-ray technique unveils the sun's corona -- Science Daily April 3, 2008: 'No sun link' to climate change -- BBC News March 22, 2008: Cat's Eye Hubble remix -- APOD March 20, 2008: Sunset: Planet Earth -- APOD March 13, 2008: Vanguard I celebrates 50 years in space -- Eurekalert March 6, 2008: Sun's corona is both hot and kinky -- Eurekalert February 29, 2008: Earth is doomed (in 5 billion years) -- Physics World January 28, 2008: A solar eclipse painting from the 1700s -- APOD January 23, 2008: Landmarks: What makes the stars shine? -- Physical Focus Review January 16, 2008: Upgraded neutrino detector could root out dark matter -- New Scientist December 26, 2007: "Drilling up" -- Some look to space for energy -- National Geographic December 22, 2007: Tyrrhenian Sea and solstice sky -- NASA GSFC December 19, 2007: Solar-like star flares up -- Astronomy.com December 12, 2007: Foggy San Francisco has ambitious solar plan -- CNN November 19, 2007: Sun may be smaller than thought -- New Scientist November 12, 2007: Sun's twin discovered -- Astronomy.com November 9, 2007: Astronomers discover Sun's twin at McDonald Observatory -- McDonald Observatory September 14, 2007: New film opening in Boston gives first 3D look at the Sun -- NASA GSFC September 10, 2007: Partial solar eclipse for some Southern Hemisphere observers -- Astronomy.com August 20, 2007: Catching some rays -- NSF July 11, 2007: Study clears Sun of global warming -- Australian Broadcasting Company June 8, 2007: New model reveals Sun's interior -- Astronomy.com June 1, 2007: Secrets of the Sun's sizzling corona -- Australian Broadcasting Company May 30, 2007: Magnetic field uses sound waves to ignite solar ring of fire -- SpaceDaily May 30, 2007: News from your favorite star -- Astronomy.com May 22, 2007: Orange Sun oozing -- NASA GSFC APOD May 10, 2007: Get ready to explore the heart of the Sun -- NASA GSFC May 7, 2007: SOHO finds solar ripples -- Astronomy.com April 24, 2007: The Sun in three dimensions -- NASA GSFC APOD April 23, 2007: NASA spacecraft make first 3-D images of Sun -- NASA JPL April 6, 2007: NASA unveils first stereo vision of Sun -- AGU Space Weather March 13, 2007: Lunar transit in STEREO -- Astronomy.com March 8, 2007: Sunlight sends asteroids spinning -- Australian Broadcasting Company March 5, 2007: International Heliophysical Year begins -- SpaceDaily March 3, 2007: Lunar transit from STEREO -- NASA GSFC APOD March 2, 2007: Solar eclipse from the Moon -- NASA GSFC APOD March 1, 2007: Ancient solar observatory discovered -- Space.com February 23, 2007: Sol sister -- SpaceDaily February 20, 2007: A cool solar mystery -- Science@NASA February 19, 2007: International Heliophysical Year begins -- European Space Agency February 7, 2007: Ulysses scores a hat-trick -- European Space Agency February 7, 2007: NASA-European spacecraft swoops under Sun's pole -- NASA JPL January 29, 2007: Movie: a green flash over Italy -- NASA GSFC APOD January 25, 2007: Twin spacecraft swing past Moon to prepare for 3-D solar studies -- SpaceDaily January 14, 2007: Comet McNaught - a first light present for STEREO -- SpaceRef.com January 12, 2007: SOHO prepares for Comet Mcnaught -- SpaceDaily
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