The Sun

We all know about the Sun.  It's something we see almost every day, and most of us tend to take it for granted.  However, it is the life force for our planet and the rest of the planets in our solar system; it provides heat and light for our solar system.  Not only that, it is also the biggest mass in our solar system ("The Sun").  Despite this, it is still made up of 98% gas; it is comprised of 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, and  less than 2% metals ("The Sun").  One interesting fact I found out about the Sun is that different parts of this giant star rotates at different rates.  Because it is mostly gas, the Sun's outer layers rotate at different rates, while the core rotates at the same rate;  the equator rotates at 25.4 days and the poles makes one rotation in about 36 days ("The Sun").  The Sun's power is from the nuclear fusion reactions that occur on in its core and flow out towards the surface.  As it heads towards the surface, the energy is absorbed and re-emitted, so that when it does reach the surface, the energy is basically just visible light ("The Sun").

The dark spots on the picture below are sunspots.  The reason why they appear dark is because these spots are cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface.  The surface of the Sun is typically about 5800 K, but these spots are only about 3800 K ("The Sun").

"The Sun." Nine Planets. Nine Planets, 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Taken 11/10/15 by the Harvard MicroObservatory