The Sun / Sol (Star)
 |
Image: The Sun or Sol, our closest star. A solar flare can be seen erupting in the bottom-left of the picture. Credit: NASA/JSC/Skylab |
Symbol |  |
| Common Name | The Sun |
| Other Names | Sol |
| Spectral Type | G2V |
| Apparent Magnitude | -26.74 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 4.83 |
Mean distance from Earth | 1 a.u. (about 93 millon miles or 8.3 light minutes) |
Sidereal Rotation Period | 609.12 hours  |
Mass | 1989100 x 1024 kg |
| Volume | 1412000 x 1012 km3 |
| Density | 1.4g/cm3  |
Diameter | 1390000 km (just under 109 Earth diameters) |
Observing the Sun
WARNING |
Never observe the Sun with binoculars or telescopes as permanent blindness will occur. It isn't even safe to observe the Sun with the naked eye. |
References
Focus on Stars - Everyman's Guide to Astronomy by Julius D. W. Staal
Further Reading
About this page
This page was last modified on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 10:22:47 PM