The Sun / Sol (Star)
Contents
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
Overview
The Sun or Sol, our closest star.
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.
Vital Statistics
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 609.12 hours [1]
Mass 1989100 x 1024 kg [1]
Volume 1412000 x 1012 km3 [1]
Density 1.4g/cm3 [2]
Diameter 1390000 km (just under 109 Earth diameters)
Astronomical Symbol
The Astronomical symbol for The Sun is represented by the symbol '☉'
References
[1] NASA Sun Fact Sheet - http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/sunfact.html
[2] Focus on Stars - Everyman's Guide to Astronomy by Julius D. W. Staal
