Last updated on July 23rd, 2021
46. Sun spots have a very strong magnet field, which prevents the convection of energy, and thus accounts for their lower temperatures.[20]
47. In fact, the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon.[21]
48. A typical sunspot consists of a dark spot in the middle called the umbra, and a lighter region known as the penumbra.[26]
49. The solar maximum is a period of time during the solar cycle when the number of sunspots is at its highest.[26]
50. Sunspot cycles are repeated every 11 years, and coincide with the occurrence of solar flares.[26]
51. When the solar cycle is at a minimum, flares are rare because active regions are far between.[26]
Sun’s movement
52. It travels at 20 kilometers per second relative to other stars, and 220 kilometers per second around the Milky Way.[46]
53. Different parts of the sun rotate at different speeds, the fastest being at its equator.[47]
54. The sun’s rotation period at the equator is about 27 days while that at the poles is about 36 days.[48]
55. It completes a revolution around the entire galaxy once every 250 million years.[6]
Facts about its composition
56. The sun is a ball of gas and has no solid surface.[1]
57. Its composition is 91% Hydrogen, 7.8% Helium, and 1% other gases.[2]
58. Helium is the second most abundant element both in the sun and in the universe, but very hard to find on earth.[3]
59. It contains different layers with varying temperatures; the corona, photosphere, chromosphere, and the core.[12]
60. The chromosphere contains spikes of gas called spicules.[13]
61. It is visible as a flash of color at the starting and ending of total solar eclipses.[28]
62. The photosphere is the opaque layer of gas that makes the sun appear to be solid.[29]
63. It’s also responsible for emitting light, and is cooler than the outer most layer, the corona.[30]
64. The transition region is a very narrow (60 miles / 100 km) layer between the chromosphere and the corona where the temperature rises abruptly from about 8000 to about 500,000 K.[31]
65. The corona releases a stream of charged particles referred to as solar wind.[55]
A table of the 10 most common elements in the sun
| Serial | Element | Abundance (pct. of total number of atoms) | Abundance (pct. of total mass) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hydrogen | 91.2 | 71.0 |
| 2. | Helium | 8.7 | 27.1 |
| 3. | Oxygen | 0.078 | 0.97 |
| 4. | Carbon | 0.043 | 0.40 |
| 5. | Nitrogen | 0.0088 | 0.096 |
| 6. | Silicon | 0.0045 | 0.099 |
| 7. | Magnesium | 0.0038 | 0.076 |
| 8. | Neon | 0.0035 | 0.058 |
| 9. | Iron | 0.030 | 0.014 |
| 10. | Sulfur | 0.015 | 0.040 |
Interesting facts about evolution and life cycle of the Sun
66. The sun is currently in its yellow dwarf stage.[56]
67. It has enough nuclear fuel to stay as it is for 5 billion more years.[53]
68. When its energy (hydrogen) burns out, it will expand into the red giant and consume nearby planets, possibly even earth.[57]
69. Its outer layers will then collapse, and it will become the white dwarf.[53]
70. In the end, it will become a dim and cool celestial body referred to as the black dwarf.[53]