Sun

Designation

The Sun is a yellow dwarf star at the center of our Solar System. It holds over 99.8% of the Solar System’s total mass and keeps everything — from the large gas giant planets to the smallest asteroids — in orbit. Made mostly of hydrogen and helium, it produces energy through nuclear fusion in its core, providing the light and warmth needed for life on Earth. At the end of its life in about 5 billion years, the Sun will expand into a red giant star, engulfing Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth before blowing off its outer layers in a spectacular planetary nebula. What will remain is a white dwarf: the hot, dense stellar core left behind to cool slowly over time.

Did you know: The Sun moves through space at 720,000 km per hour (450,000 mph), bringing the rest of the Solar System with it and completing one orbit of the Milky Way in about 230 million years.

Image: NSO/NSF/AURA

Diameter

1392000.00km 865133.62mi

This object compared to other %category%

Average distance from the Sun

Semi-major axis (a)

Deviation from a circular orbit

Eccentricity (e)

Angle of orbit

Inclination (i)

Orbital elements

When will it be closest to the Sun?

days left

How far is it today?

From the Sun

1.00au

From the Earth