The interstellar Universe is immense, humanity has only been able to make sketches of its extent. However, we are nowhere near knowing its limits and we are constantly looking for answers about it. But within the immense cosmos, within the Milky Way, lies our Solar System, the cosmic neighborhood that inhabits the Earth and whose main star is the Sun, which plays an important role in it.
The Sun is the main star of the Solar System. It is a huge star, with 1.4 million kilometers in diameter, it is so large that it could hold 109 just on its surface. And it is assumed that the main energy source of the entire system plays a primary role. It gives light, heat and keeps the planets revolving around it together. Furthermore, it is responsible for life on planet Earth. Its energy and the set of characteristics of our planet provided the ideal conditions for life to emerge on Earth about 4 billion years ago.
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And although compared to the other stars in the cosmos the Sun is not that big, for the Solar System it is its main agent. Thanks to its large amount of mass, it generates a curvature in time-space that causes the planets to rotate around it.
What is the Sun made of?
The Sun is almost entirely made up of two gases: hydrogen and helium. And to put its size in perspective, its mass represents 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System. Being a star, the Sun is a set of gases in constant activity that reach exorbitant temperatures. On its surface, the temperature is around 5,500°C. But inside, it rises exponentially until it reaches 15,000,000°C.
But not all of the Sun is composed uniformly, just like the Earth, it is structured in layers. In its center the core burns, where the temperatures are enormous and where the fusion explosions that produce its heat take place. Although due to the characteristics of its gravity, it takes around a million years for the energy produced in the center to emerge to the surface.
This is followed by the radiant zone, which is mainly composed of plasma, that is, ionized gases. Next is the convective zone. Then the photosphere, which is where the visible light of the largest star is emitted, is considered the solar surface and is where sunspots appear. Then the outer layers, the chromosphere and finally the solar corona, are superimposed. Together, all of these and their intrinsic characteristics generate the energy that powers the Solar System.
It is not eternal
Astronomers estimate that the formation of the Sun occurred about 4.57 billion years ago. And although for the ephemeral human existence, the times of cosmological history are immense, the Sun also has an expiration date. Scientists estimate that this giant star has already lived half of its existence, so it has about 5 billion more years left.
During this period, it will lose its current appearance, that is, it will shine brighter but the heat will be less. It will then become a red giant star, reaching one hundred times its current size and devouring Earth and other planets in its path. Thus, it will burn like a red giant for another billion years to finally explode into one the size of our planet.