Sun

Our star

The Sun is a huge, super-hot ball of fire. It gives us light and warmth. Without the Sun there would be no life on Earth! A million Earths could fit inside the Sun.

The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System — a giant ball of plasma made mostly of hydrogen (74%) and helium (24%). In its core, nuclear fusion (hydrogen atoms merging into helium) releases enormous energy. The Sun is 4.6 billion years old and will shine for about 5 billion more. It holds 99.8% of all the mass in the Solar System.

Fun facts

• Sunlight takes 8 minutes 20 seconds to reach Earth.
• The Sun's surface is 5,500 °C, but its core is 15 million °C!
• The Sun is actually white — it looks yellow because of Earth's atmosphere.
• The Sun spins too: one full turn takes 25 days.