Exploring the Sun: A Stellar Journey

Our sun is a G-type main-sequence star, comprising about 99.86% of the solar system's mass. It's a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, with internal convective motion generating a magnetic field.

At the sun's core, hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium, releasing energy. This process, known as nuclear fusion, produces the equivalent of 92 billion megatons of TNT per second, powering the sun's radiant energy.

The sun's surface, or photosphere, exhibits sunspots and solar flares. These are caused by magnetic activity. Interestingly, sunspots are cooler areas, while flares are bursts of radiation that can disrupt communication on Earth.

Did you know? It takes around 8 minutes and 20 seconds for sunlight to reach Earth. However, the energy released from the core takes thousands of years to reach the solar surface before it can radiate out.

The sun emits a continuous flow of charged particles known as the solar wind, which extends beyond Pluto. This wind shapes the heliosphere and can create spectacular auroras when interacting with Earth's magnetosphere.

Our sun is about 4.6 billion years old and is expected to continue its main-sequence phase for another 5 billion years. Eventually, it will expand into a red giant and end its life as a white dwarf.

Surprisingly, the sun has less oxygen, carbon, and other heavy elements compared to similar stars. This 'solar abundance problem' puzzles scientists, suggesting unknown aspects of the sun's formation and the early solar system.