History UsefulNotes / TheSun

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process this layer will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.[[hottip:*:[[UsefulNotes/LocalStars Delta Pavonis]], a star extremely similar and very close--about 20 ly--to the Sun is currently going through this phase. It started the process during the time that modern humans have existed--possibly even during recorded history--but only our descendants to the umpteenth generation will get to see the transformation in full. Astronomers have a mild interest in this star, since being the Sun's "near-identical older brother"--as we put it--its evolution will give hints about what's to come for old Sol.]] After a million or so years in this red giant phase, it will shrink again, then expand a second time as its core fuses helium into carbon, then finally shed its outer layers in a breathtaking display known as a "planetary nebula." What will remain afterward is the tiny, exposed core of the sun, now shrunk to a super-dense[[hottip:*:one teaspoon of white dwarf matter would weigh several tons at the surface of the Earth]] white dwarf the size of the Earth, slowly cooling over the next few hundred billion years.

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process this layer will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.[[hottip:*:[[UsefulNotes/LocalStars Delta Pavonis]], a star extremely similar and very close--about 20 ly--to the Sun is currently going through this phase. It started the process during the time that modern humans have existed--possibly even during recorded history--but only our descendants to the umpteenth generation will get to see the transformation in full. Astronomers have a mild interest in this star, since being the Sun's "near-identical older brother"--as we put it--its evolution will give hints about what's to come for old Sol.]] After a million or so years in this red giant phase, it will shrink again, then expand a second time as its core fuses helium into carbon, then finally shed its outer layers in a breathtaking display known as a "planetary nebula." What will remain afterward is the tiny, exposed core of the sun, now shrunk to a super-dense white dwarf the size of the Earth, slowly cooling over the next few hundred billion years.

Alright, I'll do it for you. TheSun is big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, white (''not'' [[LiesToChildren yellow]], though atmospheric scattering of blue light may make it seem so) and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those.]], on the outer third of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off with a sunburn, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life... at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillions of years]].

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process this layer will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.[[hottip:*:[[UsefulNotes/LocalStars Delta Pavonis]], a star extremely similar and very close--about 20 ly--to the Sun is currently going through this phase. It started the process during the time that modern humans have existed--possibly even during recorded history--but only our descendants to the umpteenth generation will get to see the transformation in full. Astronomers have a mild interest in this star, since being the Sun's "near-identical older brother"--as we put it--its evolution will give hints about what's to come for old Sol.]]

Despite being made of ionized gas, the tremendous pressure in its interior squeezes the core into a very dense ball, bringing the sun's average density up above that of liquid water. As one astronomy professior said, if you put the sun in a bucket of water it'll sink. Nevertheless, when compared to even the largest planets in the solar system, the sun is ''freakin' huge.'' It's over a hundred times bigger across than the Earth, and weighs over 300,000 times as much. In fact, all of the planets, asteroids, and comets in the solar system ''combined'' would have less than 1% of the sun's mass. If the sun had a solid surface -- which it doesn't -- you'd experience 28 times Earth's surface gravity if you stood on it.

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process this layer will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.[[hottip:*:[[LocalStars Delta Pavonis]], a star extremely similar and very close--about 20 ly--to the Sun is currently going through this phase. It started the process during the time that modern humans have existed--possibly even during recorded history--but only our descendants to the umpteenth generation will get to see the transformation in full. Astronomers have a mild interest in this star, since being the Sun's "near-identical older brother"--as we put it--its evolution will give hints about what's to come for old Sol.]]

Despite being made of ionized gas, the tremendous pressure in its interior squeezes the core into a very dense ball, bringing the sun's average density up above that of liquid water. As one astronomy professior said, if you put the sun in a bucket of water it'll sink.

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process this layer will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process it will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. This inflation will take place in the blink of an eye in geological terms, but will be very gradual by human-lifetime standards: it may take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years for the sun to grow from its end-of-main-sequence normal size to its full red-giant glory.

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot[[hottip:*:"But wait!" I hear you cry. "If the core is no longer providing any radiative pressure to support the sun's upper layers, why will it ''expand'' instead of shrinking under its own weight?" I'm glad you asked. When the core fizzles, the layer immediately above the core will collapse down upon it, and in the process it will get more and more compressed until it ignites in nuclear fusion itself, forming a hydrogen-burning shell.]] and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. Worse, according to current models of stellar evolution, in a paltry ''one'' billion years it will brighten enough that Earth's oceans will evaporate. But we won't be around, either because ScienceMarchesOn and we will be on planets far away, or because [[HumansAreBastards we will kill ourselves]].

Despite being made of ionized gas, the tremendous pressures in its interior squeezes the core into a very dense ball, bringing the sun's average density up above that of liquid water. As one astronomy professior said, if you put the sun in a bucket of water it'll sink.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Sol_de_Mayo_1928_svg_6479.png

Commonly referred to as Sol in SpeculativeFiction as in "Navigator, set a course for the Sol System."

As said above, when its core runs outta gas some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. Worse, according to current models of stellar evolution, in a paltry ''one'' billion years it will brighten enough that Earth's oceans will evaporate. But we won't be around, either because ScienceMarchesOn and we will be on planets far away, or because [[HumansAreBastards we will kill ourselves]].

As said above, on the end of its lifetime some 5 billion years from now, it will inflate a lot and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. Worse, according to current models of stellar evolution, in a paltry ''one'' billion years it will brighten enough that Earth's oceans will evaporate. But we won't be around, either because ScienceMarchesOn and we will be on planets far away, or because [[HumansAreBastards we will kill ourselves]].

As said above, on the end of its lifetime it will inflate a lot and consume at least some of the inner planets - likely including Earth, causing a [[ApocalypseHow Class 5 or Class X apocalypse]]. But we won't be around, either because ScienceMarchesOn and we will be on planets far away, or because [[HumansAreBastards we will kill ourselves]].

Still, for us [[HumansAreSpecial humans]] it holds a very huge significance and thus it's featured quite frequently in fiction as it is the closest star to us. In fact, the InsignificantLittleBluePlanet called Earth is orbiting around it. Yeah, we're orbiting in a roughly circular shape with a radius of 8.3 light minutes and the Sun in the center. And yes, you see it every (cloudless) day (unless you are living on a latitude greater than 66.7°), so you must be kind of familiar with it.

Commonly referred to as Sol in SpeculativeFiction.

Alright, I'll do it for you. TheSun is big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, white (''not'' [[LiesToChildren yellow]], though atmospheric scattering of blue light may make it seem so) and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those.]], on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off with a sunburn, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Still, for us, [[HumansAreSpecial humans]] it holds a very huge significance and thus it's featured quite frequently in fiction too. It's because it is the closest star to us. In fact, the InsignificantLittleBluePlanet called Earth is orbiting around it. Yeah, we're orbiting in a roughly circular shape with a radius of 8.3 light minutes and the Sun in the center. And yes, you see it every (cloudless) day (unless you are living on a latitude greater than 66.7°), so you must be kind of familiar with it.

Alright, I'll do it for you. TheSun is big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those.]], on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off with a sunburn, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those.]], on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off with a sunburn, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

As were people in the ancient times. The Sun has been revered as a deity, or as an object of divine origins by many religions. Helios (or Apollo/Apollon, as his better known name) was the god of Sun. The Egyptians have seen it originally as the Pharaoh's soul, later it has been associated with Ra and Horus. And this is only a very small part of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_deity the great number of solar deities]] found in cultures. In such cultures, the Sun is often contrasted with TheMoon.

For the home of the PageThreeStunna, see BritishNewspapers

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those.]], on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small[[hottip:* :To be precise, it's unimpressive compared to the stars visible in the sky which are mostly giants and supergiants. But most of the stars that actually exist are hard-to-see red dwarfs, and old Sol clearly outshines most of those]], on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small, on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy, and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small, on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth. [[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy), and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might thaw out and develop its own life...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small, on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth ([[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy), and [[TheMoonsOfSaturn Titan]] might benefit...at least until the sun collapses into an Earth-sized white dwarf [[TimeAbyss and slowly cools to the ambient temperature of the universe over the next trillion years]].

Alright, I'll do it for you. It's big, glowing, hot (approx. 5750 K. on the surface on average), basically a huge globe of plasma composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Yeah, just like every star you see. Altogether, it's nothing special, just a common G-class star, yellow and rather small, on the outer 1/3 of the Galaxy on the Orion arm or [[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm]]. It's just a little bit (on the cosmological time scale) older than Earth itself. It is currently around 5 billion years old, and it has enough fuel for another 5 billion. On the end of its life cycle, it will inflate to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and probably Earth ([[TheRedPlanet Mars]] gets off easy).