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The core is the hottest part of the Sun. Nuclear reactions here – where hydrogen is fused to form helium – power the Sun’s heat and light. Temperatures top 27 million °F (15 million °C) and it’s about 86,000 miles (138,000 kilometers) thick. The density of the Sun’s core is about 150 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³).
- Sun: Exploration
NASA and other international space agencies monitor the Sun...
- Why We Study The Sun
The Sun is the source of the solar wind; a flow of gases...
- Sun: Exploration
NASA and other international space agencies monitor the Sun 24/7 with a fleet of solar observatories, studying everything from the Sun’s atmosphere to its surface. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is studying our star from closer than any previous spacecraft. On Dec. 14, 2021, NASA announced that Parker had flown through the Sun’s upper ...
Today, the Sun is studied using a fleet of satellites orbiting Earth. Outside the Earth’s atmosphere they can gather clearer, less distorted images. NASA spacecraft have also advanced our understanding of the Sun. Voyager I, whose mission wasn’t specifically to study the Sun, was the first spacecraft to travel beyond the heliosphere, which includes the entire area that is influenced by the ...
Aug 11, 2014 · The Sun is the source of the solar wind; a flow of gases from the Sun that streams past the Earth at speeds of more than 500 km per second (a million miles per hour). Disturbances in the solar wind shake the Earth's magnetic field and pump energy into the radiation belts. Regions on the surface of the Sun often flare and give off ultraviolet ...
The Sun's gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything – from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris – in its orbit. The connection and interactions between the Sun and Earth drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather, climate, radiation belts and auroras. Though it is special to us, there are billions of ...
Sep 15, 2018 · At about 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) wide, the sun is 109 times wider than Earth, and it accounts for more than 99.8 percent of the solar system's total mass. If it was a hollow ball ...
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Sep 15, 2020 · Understanding the Sun’s behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. The Sun’s powerful outbursts can disturb the satellites and communications signals traveling around Earth, or one day, Artemis astronauts exploring distant worlds. NASA scientists study the solar cycle so we can better predict solar activity.
