The sun is a star. The sun is at the center of the solar system. The sun is the largest object in the solar system. It is more than 99.8% of the mass of the solar system. More than one million earths could fit inside the sun!
From earth, the sun looks like a yellow ball in the sky. A long time ago, people didn’t know what the sun was. Many people told stories about the sun. People in many countries told stories about the sun. In some stories, people said the sun was a god. Some people gave names to the sun. The Greeks named it Helios. The Romans named it Sol. The name Solar System comes from the Roman name Sol.
The sun is very hot. On the surface, it is about 5,510 ° Celsius. That’s equal to about 11,000 ° Fahrenheit. The inside of the sun is even hotter. The core of the sun is 15,000,000 °C! That’s 27,000,000 °F!
The light from the sun is very bright. People must not look directly at the sun. Looking directly at the sun will hurt your eyes. People need the sun’s heat and light to live. Animals need the sun’s heat and light to live.
Plants need the sun’s heat and light to live. Plants make food with sunlight. People and animals eat the plants. Plants also use the sun to make oxygen. People and animals need to breathe oxygen.
Today people do not tell stories about the sun. Today people do not think the sun is a god. But, people know that the sun is necessary for life on earth.