Guide Note

The sun acts as the center of the Earth's solar system and comprises over 99% of the solar system's mass. The Earth and its moon revolve around the sun, as do the other planets in our solar system.¹ The sun warms our planet, providing light and other energy without which life on Earth would not be possible.

Fast Facts

1. Radius: 432,000 miles¹
2. Distance from Earth: 92,960,000 miles¹
3. Mass: 2 X 1027 tons¹
4. Age: 4.5 billion years²
5. Core temperature: 15,000,000°C²
6. Surface temperature: 6,000°C²
7. Energy production: 386 billion billion megawatts per second³

The sun is composed of magnetically charged gases whose atoms, due to extreme heat, have separated into electrically charged ions and electrons. Once the gaseous atoms have separated into these magnetically charged particles, it creates matter known as plasma. About 72% of the sun's mass consists of hydrogen atoms, 26% is helium and the remaining mass is comprised of other gaseous and metallic elements such as oxygen, silicon, carbon and magnesium.¹