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 (http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/) (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 (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link="/mythology/planets/sun.html) -- Windows to the Universe
Sun (http://www.windows.umich.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link="/sun/sun.html&sw=false&sn=259989&d=/sun&edu=mid&br=graphic&cd=false&fr=f&tour=) -- Windows to the Universe
The Sun as Art (http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/2002_08_29/) -- SOHO

The Heliosphere

Solar Wind

The Sun's Magnetic Field

Solar Activity

The Earth's Magnetosphere

Solar Energetic Particles (Solar Cosmic Rays)

The Sun in the News:

December 31, 2006: Hinode shows a violent Sun (http://astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c="a&id=4942) -- Astronomy.com
December 26, 2006: The gegenschein -- NASA GSFC APOD
December 23, 2006: The analemma and the Temple of Olympian Zeus -- NASA GSFC APOD
December 22, 2006: The view from STEREO ahead -- NASA GSFC APOD
December 4, 2006: The active Sun -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 25, 2006: 3D Mercury transit -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 17, 2006: X-ray transit of Mercury (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/17nov_xraytransit.htm) -- Science@NASA
November 17, 2006: Hand drawn transit -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 16, 2006: Children of the Sun -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 14, 2006: Mercury's transit: an unusual spot on the Sun -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 8, 2006: Simulated transit of Mercury -- NASA GSFC APOD
November 6, 2006: Rare transit of Mercury (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061104090501.htm) -- ScienceDaily
November 6, 2006: Catch the transit of Mercury this week (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1780515.htm?space) -- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
November 2, 2006: Sunwatchers prepare for Mercury (http://astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c="a&id=4647) -- Astronomy.com
November 2, 2006: First light for Hinode (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/02nov_firstlight.htm) -- Science@NASA
October 26, 2006: Probes launched to image Sun (http://astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c="a&id=4624) -- Astronomy.com
October 20, 2006: 2006 transit of Mercury (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/20oct_transitofmercury.htm) -- Science@NASA
October 5, 2006: Supernova radioisotopes show Sun was born in star cluster, scientists say (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061004151431.htm) -- ScienceDaily
September 23, 2006: Triple sunrise -- NASA GSFC APOD
September 21, 2006: Sharp silhouette -- NASA GSFC APOD
September 14, 2006: Study clears Sun of climate change (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1740858.htm?space) -- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
September 13, 2006: Changes in solar brightness too weak to explain global warming (http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/brightness.shtml) -- National Center for Atmospheric Research
July 12, 2006: A Manhattan sunset -- NASA GSFC APOD
July 10, 2006: Dark Sun sizzling -- NASA GSFC APOD
June 21, 2006: Sunrise solstice at Stonehenge -- NASA GSFC APOD
May 25, 2006: SOHO gets extension (http://astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c="a&id=4284) -- Astronomy.com
May 24, 2006: ESA's SOHO will lead a fleet of solar observatories (http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid="19947) -- SpaceRef.com
May 3, 2006: STEREO spacecraft begin Florida launch preparations (http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0605/03stereo/) -- Spaceflight Now
April 23, 2006: The solar spectrum -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 11, 2006: A Sun halo over Utah -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 8, 2006: Vanishing umbra -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 7, 2006: The crown of the Sun -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 6, 2006: It's the Sun, but not as we know it (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/space/SpaceRepublish_1606906.htm) -- Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
April 4, 2006: A total solar eclipse over Turkey -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 31, 2006: Solar eclipse and SOHO -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 30, 2006: Why is the Sun's corona hotter than the Sun itself? (http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Why_Is_The_Suns_Corona_Hotter_Than_The_Sun_Itself.html) -- SpaceDaily.com
March 30, 2006: When diamonds aren't forever -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 29, 2006: Solar eclipse calls on dragons and spirits (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/space/SpaceRepublish_1603542.htm) -- Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
March 28, 2006: NASA sees solar eclipse in a different light (http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/mar/HQ_06110_Solar%20Eclipse.html) -- NASA HQ
March 24, 2006: Solar sails (http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2005/20060324.htm) -- NASA GSFC Science Question of the Week
March 9, 2006: NASA spacecraft helps researchers see the Sun's far side (http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/mar/HQ_06090_SOHO_sees_sun.html) -- NASA HQ
March 5, 2006: Colorful light pillars -- NASA GSFC APOD
March 3, 2006: In partnership with NASA - solar eclipse in Turkey (http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid="19169) -- SpaceRef.com
February 10, 2006: What is a sundog? (http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2005/20060210.htm) -- NASA GSFC Science Question of the Week
February 5, 2006: A Sun pillar in red and violet -- NASA GSFC APOD
January 2, 2006: A Sun pillar over Maine -- NASA GSFC APOD

Sun news from 2005 and earlier

BASICS .. COSMIC RAYS .. SUN .. SPACE WEATHER

Click on images above to learn more about them

A service of the Astrophysics Science Division (http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/) at NASA's (http://www.nasa.gov) GSFC (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard)

Questions and comments to: cosmicopia@cosmicra.gsfc.nasa.gov
Curators: Beth Barbier and Sara Mitchell, SP Systems
Responsible NASA Official: Dr. Tycho von Rosenvinge

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