Readers are reminded that it is very dangerous to view the sun directly. Looking at the sun can cause blindness instantly, as it can burn your retina.

The sun is our nearest star, also called Sol. It makes up more than 99.8% of the mass of the solar system, with most of the rest of the mass being in Jupiter. It has been worshipped as a god by many ancient civilisations. The sun is vital to life on Earth, without the sun Earth wouldn't exist.

The Structure of the Sun

Our knowledge of the structure of the sun is incomplete, and much of our present knowledge has been discovered very recently. Stars are opaque; it is impossible to see inside them using either visible light or other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is possible, however to get a good idea of the internal structure of the sun by analysing pressure waves (like Earthquakes) travelling through the Sun.

The Core

The Core of the sun is where energy generation takes place, using a process known as 'hydrogen burning', through which hydrogen is transformed to helium¹. The temperature of the core is of the order of 10⁷K.

The Radiative Zone

The radiative zone is where high energy photons are generated in the nuclear transmutation of Hydrogen to Helium. Photons are absorbed and reemitted every few millimetres. It takes more than 50000 years for the photons generated here to escape from the sun.

The Convective Zone

In this zone, mass motions transport energy. Convection currents move gasses of varying temperature around in this zone. Convection cells can be observed on the sun's surface, as a granular effect. These cells are 2000km across, and last for about 10 minutes. The temperature of the convective and radiative zones is of the order of 10⁶ to 10⁷K

The Photosphere

This is a very thin layer, from which photons escape the sun. It extends about 300km from the top of the convective zone.

The Chromosphere

This is a thin layer above the photosphere, in which hydrogen gas is excited. During a total eclipse of the sun, a "pink flash" can be observed from this layer². The chromosphere is very much less dense than the photosphere, it has about one thousandth of the density.

The Corona

The sun's corona can be seen during total eclipses of the sun. It is very hot gas, about 5x10⁷K. It has a low density, and is heated by pressure and magnetic fields from deeper inside the sun.

The Solar Wind

This is a stream of mainly protons and electrons, carrying a trapped magnetic field, which permeates space up to around 100AU outside the sun. It is driven by pressure from the high temperature of the corona. The solar wind interacting with the Earth's magnetic field is responsible for Aurorae.

The sun is highly active; it has a very strong magnetic field that is thought to be responsible for phenomena such as flares and sunspots on its surface. The sun's magnetic activity is driven by differences of rotation rate in the sun. At the equator, the period is about 25 days whereas at the poles the rotation period is around 31 days. The amount of solar activity varies through a 22-year cycle. At the time of writing, we are near a "solar maximum", a time when solar activity is at a maximum.

The Sun's influence on Earth

The sun provides all of the energy that we use on earth, at the lowest level through photosynthesis in plants. This energy then goes on to be transformed into all the energy we use³, be it by generating electricity, or in the energy we get from food.

The ultraviolet part of the sun's light which falls on earth is responsible for the life-threatening disease of Skin Cancer.

Read more about the Sun

• The SOHO satellite continually observes the sun.
• SDAC- Solar Data Analysis Centre at NASA