The Sun

 Earth receives most of its energy from the sun.

 Light and heat from the sun are necessary for all living things

on Earth.

 The sun contains more than 90 percent of all the mass that

exists in our solar system.

 It is a rather average-sized star when compared to the hundred

billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

 Our sun has been alive for four to five billion years.

 Based on astronomical predictions, it may be alive for another

four billion years.

 Astronomers cannot study the inside of the sun, but they can

draw conclusions about its age by observing its energy output.

 The sun emits energy through nuclear fusion just like every

other star.
 During this process, four hydrogen nuclei collide to form the

nucleus of one helium atom, producing a remarkable amount

of energy.

 This radiant energy emitted by the sun is solar radiation.

 The radiation is expelled into space in all directions as
electromagnetic waves.
 Only a fraction of the sun’s total solar radiation strikes the
Earth, but enough reaches our planet to warm it and provide
energy.
 The magnitude and type of energy produced by the sun varies

slightly over time.

 Sunspots and solar flares are events that hinder or magnify the

sun’s energy production.

Sunspots
 Sunspots are visible dark areas on the surface of the sun with
temperatures about 1,500°C less than the sun’s average
temperature.
 The number of sunspots on the surface of the sun differs from
year to year over what astronomers deem an 11-year cycle.
 Astronomers have determined that even though sunspots
create cooler areas on the surface of the sun, they lead to an
increase in the sun’s radiation output.
The Sun and spots
 Solar flares

 The other events that affect the sun’s energy output are solar
flares.
 A solar flare is a blast of energy that, from Earth, appears as
an area of additional brightness.
 Solar flares release a great deal of energy.
Solar flares
 On Earth, they can affect satellite transmissions and can cause
auroras, which are streams of colored lights around Earth’s
North or South Pole.
 The auroras are the result of solar winds caused by solar flares
colliding with charged particles in the upper atmosphere.
Definition: An aurora is a natural phenomenon which is
characterised by a display of a natural-coloured (green, red,
yellow or white) light in the sky.
Auroras
 It is a natural, electrical phenomenon called an aurora.
 An aurora can happen at either of the Earth's magnetic poles,
north or south.