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STARS: The Sun |
 Home  Stars  Planets  Satellites  Galaxies and Nebulae 
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The nearest star to us is the sun. By studying it, we can learn about the other stars in the universe. Like all stars, the sun is a huge, luminous ball of hot gas- mostly hydrogen, but some helium, with tiny mounts of other elements. Within the sun, a process called nuclear fusion continuously generates energy such as light and heat, at its centre, the temperature is around 14 million degrees C (25 million degrees F). The sun was born from a cloud of gas and dust about 4.6 billion years ago. It was created in a group of stars which slowly broke up so that now the sun is alone. The sun has a system of planets. But to one of these planets, the Earth, the sun is not just any old star, it is a provider of energy for life. The sun might seem huge to us, but it is only a medium sized star. It is about half way through its life. Its surface is a super hot cauldron of bubbling gasses and great tongues of flame.
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