The sun has extremely important influences on our planet: It drives weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate , and makes plant life possible through photosynthesis. Without the sun's heat and light, life on Earth would not exist.
What is the life cycle of a sun?
The Sun is currently a main sequence star and will remain so for another 4-5 billion years . It will then expand and cool to become a red giant, after which it will shrink and heat up again to become a white dwarf. The white dwarf star will run out of nuclear fuel and slowly cool down over many billions of years.
Why is the Sun important for life on the Earth?
The sun has extremely important influences on our planet: It drives weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate, and makes plant life possible through photosynthesis . Without the sun's heat and light, life on Earth would not exist.
What will happen to Earth during the last stages of the life of the Sun?
After the Sun exhausts the hydrogen in its core, it will balloon into a red giant, consuming Venus and Mercury. Earth will become a scorched, lifeless rock — stripped of its atmosphere , its oceans boiled off. Astronomers aren't sure exactly how close the Sun's outer atmosphere will come to Earth.
How is Sun useful to us?
It radiates light and heat , or solar energy, which makes it possible for life to exist on Earth. Plants need sunlight to grow. Animals, including humans, need plants for food and the oxygen they produce. ... Drying food using sun and wind prevented crops from spoiling.
What holds the Sun to stay in the sky?
Our Sun – the heart of our solar system – is a yellow dwarf star, a hot ball of glowing gases. Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris in its orbit.
What will happen in 100 trillion years?
And so, in about 100 trillion years from now, every star in the Universe, large and small, will be a black dwarf . An inert chunk of matter with the mass of a star, but at the background temperature of the Universe. So now we have a Universe with no stars, only cold black dwarfs. ... The Universe will be completely dark.
How long before our sun dies?
The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old – gauged on the age of other objects in the Solar System that formed around the same time. Based on observations of other stars, astronomers predict it will reach the end of its life in about another 10 billion years .
Will the sun last forever?
Once all the helium disappears, the forces of gravity will take over, and the sun will shrink into a white dwarf . All the outer material will dissipate, leaving behind a planetary nebula. ... Astronomers estimate that the sun has about 7 billion to 8 billion years left before it sputters out and dies.
What are 5 facts about the sun?
- The Sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass in the solar system. ...
- Over one million Earth's could fit inside the Sun. ...
- One day the Sun will consume the Earth. ...
- The energy created by the Sun's core is nuclear fusion. ...
- The Sun is almost a perfect sphere. ...
- The Sun is travelling at 220 km per second.
How does the sun affect humans?
Sunlight helps boost a chemical in your brain called serotonin , and that can give you more energy and help keep you calm, positive, and focused. Doctors sometimes treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other types of depression linked to low levels of serotonin with natural or artificial light.
What vitamin does the sun give us?
Our body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin when we're outdoors. From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D we need from sunlight.
Is the Sun getting bigger?
Because the Sun continues to ‘burn' hydrogen into helium in its core, the core slowly collapses and heats up, causing the outer layers of the Sun to grow larger . This has been going on since soon after the Sun was formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Is Sun a planet?
The sun and moon are not planets when you consider the objects in space they orbit. ... The sun fits the definition of a star, because it is a giant ball of gases consisting of hydrogen and helium, with nuclear reactions going on inside. The Earth's moon is also not a planet because it orbits one.
What will Earth be like in 1 billion years?
In about one billion years, the solar luminosity will be 10% higher than at present . ... Four billion years from now, the increase in the Earth's surface temperature will cause a runaway greenhouse effect, heating the surface enough to melt it. By that point, all life on the Earth will be extinct.
