The huge, hot star at the center of the solar system is the sun, a ball of hydrogen and helium gas that is almost perfectly spherical. It shines white light on us and warms the Earth thanks to the thermonuclear reactions that have been continuously taking place in its interior for more than 4.5 billion years.
By the way, electricity – a human invention – also releases thermonuclear energy as a result of fusion. So we can say that we have seen the best in nature. But the sun emits 100,000 times more energy in one second than humanity has produced in its entire history.
Imagine that the radius of the sun is 109 times greater than that of the earth, and it is 330,000 times more massive than our planet. Earth revolves around a hot star along with comets, asteroids, meteoroids, space dust and other seven planets from the solar system.
The first to understand it was Nicolas Copernicus – Polish scientist- an astronomer who proved that the Earth is not the center of the universe back in the mid-16th century. And before that, humanity believed that this sun revolves around us.
It determines not only the climate of our planet – its influence is felt by every person. How the sun itself determines our mood, well-being and events in the world at a distance of about 150 million kilometers, read below.
- The influence of the sun on a person’s mood can be explained from a scientific point of view. The fact is that visible sunlight activates the cortex of the brain: light is perceived through the retina of the eye, and then affects the state of the central nervous system, metabolism and hormonal background. And serotonin (hormone of joy), in turn, is produced more actively when a person is exposed to sunlight.
- In terms of physical health, the same magnetic storms that older generations associate with fluctuations in blood pressure, headaches and other ailments do have a tangible effect on the human body. Magnetic storms occur as a result of cyclic flares on the sun, after which spots remain on the surface of the luminary that we can see with the naked eye.
- Scientists have calculated a specific cycle of solar activity (flares): every 11-12 years the Sun becomes hotter, then calms down again. And depending on this cycle of activity, sunspots either appear or completely disappear from its surface. The German astronomer Heinrich Schwabe was the first to notice this in the middle of the 19th century.
- And what is happening on planet Earth at this time that completely coincides with the cycle of solar activity? 1905 – the First Revolution in the Russian Empire, 1917 – the October Revolution, 1929 – the Great Depression, 1941 – the beginning of the Second World War, 1953 – the death of Joseph Stalin… This series of 12-year cycles can be continued to this day, but believe in such a coincidence of circumstances or not – everyone decides for himself.
- But let’s return from hypotheses to purely scientific facts. As mentioned above, energy is produced in the interior of the sun by thermonuclear fusion. This is a process in which hydrogen turns into helium at a very high temperature. Did you know that the core of a star can heat up to 15 million degrees Celsius, and the surface temperature reaches 6,000 degrees?
- As for light, it takes an average of 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach the Earth. That’s how much time the rays need to cover a distance of about 150 million kilometers. In view of this fact, the human “now” and the present moment in the universe are completely different concepts.
- For some reason, the sun is called a yellow dwarf of the main sequence (the diagonal on which 90% of the stars of the Milky Way are located). But it is not entirely certain that the light from the sun is yellow. It displays the entire range of colors that appear white to the human eye. By the way, such optical phenomena as the Northern Lights and Aurora Borealis are the process of interaction of solar winds with the Earth’s atmosphere.
- The popular idea that the sun will burn the earth in 5 billion years also needs clarification. Indeed, in the 4.5 billion years of its existence, the hot star has already burned half of its hydrogen reserves. When the second half burns out, scientists believe the sun will begin to run out of helium and expand so much that it will reach Earth’s orbit and swallow it. However, it is necessary to understand that during this time our planet will move to a more distant orbit, so it can remain completely intact.
- The first solar telescope, which made it possible to obtain more accurate information about the sun, was built in 1905. It was established by the American astronomer and inventor George Ellery Gale. He investigated the issue of the same spots on the surface of the star that we have already talked about. So it is to him that we owe the discovery of the process of magnetic storms. Today, the sun is being explored with help of modern SOHO orbital telescopes – space vehicles launched into a heliocentric orbit.
- And how did our ancestors imagine the nature of this star, when scientific thought was not yet developed, and people had a mythological type of thinking? At that time, the sun was considered a deity that was worshipped. In ancient Egypt, he was called Ra, the Greeks prayed to Helios, and the Slavs sacrificed to Horos and Dazhbog.
- During a solar eclipse, the star really looks divine. It is surrounded by the so-called solar corona – an incredibly beautiful ring of light around a darkened disk. The solar corona is much hotter than the surface temperature of the sun, which is why it is so clearly visible from Earth during eclipses.
In addition, it is interesting that most peoples of the world consider the sun to be masculine, and in the Scandinavian language to be feminine. In most Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Polish, Bulgarian and Russian) it is neuter.
Did you think of any more interesting facts about the sun that you could add to the article? Please write about it in the comments. Together we will know more!
