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The Sun

Sun Navigation The Sun as a Star The Sun as Our Star Solar Phenomena

Overview

The sun has guided human life for all of history, and it has also been the facilitator of life on our planet. It is the most obvious object in the sky, but in the grand scheme of things, the sun is an average star with no special significance. However, due to its proximity to our planet and the fact that the closest known full-fledged star is over 4 light-years away, the bulk of stellar astronomy is based upon what we know and can observe of the sun.

Therefore, this section is divided among the sun as simply a star - covering where it fits in stellar populations, its birth, and its eventual death, the sun as our star - covering what the sun does for us on Earth, and solar phenomena - a page that contains information on such events as flares and prominences.

Data for the Sun

 
Sun
Earth
Ratio (Sun/Earth)
Mass (1024 kg)
1,989,100
5.9736
333,000
Volume (1012 km3)
1,412,000
1.083
1,304,000
Average Radius (km)
696,000
6371
109.2
Average Density (kg/m3)
1408
5515
0.255
Surface Gravity at Equator (m/s2)
274.0
9.78
28.0
Escape Velocity (km/s)
617.7
11.2
55.2
Rotation Rate at Equator (hours)
609.12
23.9345
25.449
Rotation Rate at Poles (hours)
~ 936
23.9345
~ 39
Axial Tilt
7.25°
23.45°
0.309
Ellipticity
0.00005
0.0034
0.015
Polar Magnetic Field (gauss)
1 to 2
0.3071
3.3 to 6.5
Visual Magnitude
-26.73
-3.86
N/A
Absolute Magnitude
+4.83
N/A
N/A
Luminosity (1024 J/s)
384.6
N/A
N/A
Mass Conversion Rate (106 kg/s)
4300
N/A
N/A
Average Energy Production (10-3 J/kg)
0.1937
N/A
N/A
Surface Emission (106 J/(m2 s))
63.29
N/A
N/A
Speed Relative to Nearby Stars (km/s)
19.4
N/A
N/A
Spectral Type
G2 V
N/A
N/A

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