Basic Facts About the Sun

Size and Contents

• The sun has a radius of 696,000 kilometers, the equivalent of 109 Earths, while its mass equals that of 333,000 Earths, according to the Solar Week website. Its interior consists of layers of gases superheated by nuclear reactions.

Classification

• Astronomers classify the sun's current state as that of a "main sequence" star, the middle stage of development common to about 90 percent of stars.

Temperature

• The sun registers its coolest temperature, a mere 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit, on its surface, while its core produces temperatures of up to 15 million degrees Fahrenheit.

Behaviors

• The sun generates a powerful magnetic field which leads to the formation of sunspots, dark spots on the surface that occur in eleven-year cycles. It also emits dramatic columns of energy known as coronal mass ejections and solar flares.

Rotation

• The sun has its own rotation schedule, making a complete turn every 26 days. Because of its gaseous consistency, however, the rotation speed varies between the poles and the equator.