The Sun
We take this for granted but it provides our warmth and light, yet it is a fiery hazardous ball of gases. One sunspot can wipe out power and communications. A delicate balance to be sure and we ware learning more everyday!
Discovered By: Known by the Ancients
Date of Discovery: Unknown
Equatorial Radius
Metric: 695,500 km
English: 432,200 miles
Scientific Notation: 6.955 x 105 km
By Comparison: 109 x that of Earth
Equatorial Circumference
Metric: 4,379,000 km
English: 2,715,000 miles
Scientific Notation: 4.36 x 106 km
By Comparison: 109 x that of Earth
Volume
Metric: 1,412,200,000,000,000,000 km3
English: 2.7403 x 1017 mi3
Scientific Notation: 1.412 x 1018 km3
By Comparison: 1,300,000 Earths
Mass
Metric: 1,989,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg
English: 4,385,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 lbs
Scientific Notation: 1.989 x 1030 kg
By Comparison: 332,900 x Earth’s
Density
Metric: 1.409 g/cm3
By Comparison: 0.255 that of Earth
Surface Area
Metric: 6,087,799,000,000 km2
English: 2,347,000,000,000 square miles
Scientific Notation: 6.0877 x 1012 km2
By Comparison: 11,990 Earths
Equatorial Surface Gravity
Metric: 274.0 m/s2
English: 899.0 ft/s2
Scientific Notation: 2.740 x 102 m/s2
By Comparison: 28 x Earth’s surface gravity
Escape Velocity
Metric: 2,223,720 km/h
English: 1,381,760 mph
Scientific Notation: 6.177 x 105 m/s
By Comparison: 55 x Earth
Sidereal Rotation Period (Length of Day)
25.38 Earth days
609.12 hours
Minimum/Maximum Surface Temperature
Metric: 5,500 °C
English: 10,000 °F
Effective Temperature
Metric: 5504 °C
English: 9939 °F
Scientific Notation: 5777 K
Additional Information:
Spectral Type: G2 V Luminosity: 3.83 x 10 33 ergs/sec.
Age: 4.6 Billion Years
Composition: 92.1% Hydrogen, 7.8%Helium
Synodic Period: 27.2753 days
Rotation Period at Equator: 26.8 days
Rotation Period at Poles: 36 days
Velocity Relative to Near Stars: 19.7 km/s
Mean Distance to Earth: 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) (1 astronomical unit)
Solar Constant (Total Solar Irradiance): 1.365 – 1.369 kW/m2
(at the mean distance of the earth from the Sun, about one AU
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence taken on Sept. 14,1999. Taken in the 304 angstrom wavelength, prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun’s hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun’s atmosphere.
Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. Every feature in the image traces magnetic field structure. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures.
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. See the SOHO web page at http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov for more details.
