SDO & NOAA DATA — LIVE
The Sun
Our star, 150 million km away: the source of all life on Earth
SUN MISSION · AGES 9+
Why is the Sun so important?
The Sun is a star: a huge ball of very hot gas. It lights and warms the Earth. Without its energy, plants, animals and people could not live.
It’s like…
If the Sun were the size of a big beach ball, the Earth would be a small pea more than 20 metres away.
3 ideas to remember
- 1
The Sun is a star, not a planet.
- 2
Its light takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth.
- 3
It gives almost all the energy used by life on Earth.
StarA ball of very hot gas that makes its own light.
PlasmaA gas so hot that its tiny particles break apart.
I want to go further
In the centre of the Sun, hydrogen nuclei join together and release energy. This energy slowly travels through the Sun before leaving into space as light and heat.
Your challenge
Hold your hand 20 cm from a lamp that is switched off. Now imagine a lamp strong enough to light up eight planets!
5-minute mission
- Read the big question.
- Try one action or comparison.
- Tell someone one thing you discovered.
Answer two questions about the lesson to stamp your passport.
Question 1 of 2
What is the Sun?
Live SDO images
Source: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, updated every 15 min
Inside the Sun
Core
15,000,000 °C
0–25% R☉
Nuclear fusion: 4 H → He + energy
Radiative zone
7,000,000 °C
25–70% R☉
Energy takes tens of thousands of years to cross this zone!
Convective zone
2,000,000 °C
70–100% R☉
Plasma rises and sinks like boiling water
Photosphere
5,500 °C
~696,000 km
The visible surface of the Sun, with its sunspots
Chromosphere
20,000 °C
+2,000 km
Visible during total eclipses
Corona
1,000,000 °C
+ millions of km
Surprisingly hot: it is where the solar wind comes from
The Sun in numbers
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
A CME is a giant bubble of plasma and magnetic field thrown out by the Sun at speeds of 250 to 3,000 km/s. When it reaches Earth (after 1 to 3 days), it can cause geomagnetic storms.
The strongest event ever recorded is the Carrington storm (1859). If it happened again today, it could damage many satellites and cause long power cuts.
Arrival at Earth1 to 3 days
Plasma temperature10,000–100,000 °C
Top speed3,000 km/s
Energy released10²⁴ joules
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Solar wind — ACE/DSCOVR data
Real-time measurements 1.5 million km from Earth (L1)
⏳ Chargement du vent solaire NOAA…
Solar flare history — last 30 days
Source: NASA DONKI (Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information) · Updated every hour
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