45 Fun And Interesting Sun Facts For Kids To Know

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Sun facts for kids may leave them amused and wondering what life is beyond the earth. The sun happens to be the closest star to the earth and looks like a never-ending entity. So if your little one wants to learn more about astronomy about the sun, temperature, distance from earth, and its abundant source of energy, here are fun science facts to fulfill their cravings. Read on.

Fun Sun Facts For Children

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1. Without the energy of the Sun, there would be no seasons and no life on Earth. So Sun is our life-giver.
2. The Sun sits at the center of our Solar System.
3. The Sun sums up to 99.86% mass of the entire Solar System.
4. The Sun is 74% hydrogen and 24% helium. Other elements in the Sun are carbon, oxygen, neon, and iron.
5. The Sun is one of the million stars in the Galaxy.
6. The sun is a dwarf star and is known as the “yellow dwarf.”
7. The Sun appears to us as a huge round ball that is deep orange, because the Earth is closer to the Sun than it is to the other stars in the galaxy.
8. There are other stars in the galaxy that are bigger and brighter than the Sun, or smaller than the Sun. Since they are too far from us, these stars appear as dots of light in the night sky.

Quick fact

It takes the Sun 27 Earth days to rotate once on its axis. Different parts of it move at varying speeds.

9. Seven planets, other than the Earth, and five dwarf planets orbit the Sun. This system is called the Solar System, which is believed to have formed around 4.6 billion years ago.
10. Sun originates from the old English word Sunne or the Proto-Germanic Sunnon. In Latin, it is referred to as “Sol,” from which the word solar is derived.
11. The diameter of the sun is 1.391016 million km.
12. The distance between the Sun and the Earth is around 150 million km.
13. The Sun’s diameter is about 109 times more than the Earth’s diameter. It weighs over 333,000 times more than our planet.
14. Over 1,300,000 planets the size of earth can fit inside the Sun.

Layers of the Sun

The Sun has multiple layers through which it generates and passes on energy and light.

Image: Shutterstock

15. The center of the Sun is called the ‘Core,’ that generates the energy of the Sun.
16. The ‘Radiative Zone’ surrounds the core and transports the energy generated by the core.
17. It takes around 170,000 years to transmit the energy of the Sun from its core- to the second layer, the Radiative Zone, then to the third layer which is the ‘Convective Zone.’
18. Big bubbles of energy move into the Photosphere (or the surface of the Sun) via the Convective layer. Also, there is a constant flow of particles off the Sun known as solar winds (1).
19. The Earth receives the sunlight when the radiation of the Sun escapes from the Photosphere.
20. There two layers outside the Photosphere are the Chromosphere and the Corona. Whereas the Heliosphere is the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere that surrounds the sun containing solar magnetic fields (2).

Did you know?

Unlike in the lower layers, where it gets hotter if you go closer to the Sun’s center, in the Chromosphere, it gets hotter with the increase in distance from the Sun.

21. The Corona can be seen on a dull day with overcast sky or during eclipses. The solar winds are formed by the expansion of the plasma from the Corona (3).

Image: Shutterstock

22. It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the Sun’s rays to reach the Earth’s atmosphere.
23. The surface temperature of the Sun is approximately 5,500 degrees Celsius.
24. The core temperature of the Sun is about 15 million degrees Celsius.
25. The Sun’s atmosphere is hotter than its surface.
26. The Sun is losing mass constantly due to nuclear fusion.
27. The Sun’s magnetic field reverses approximately every 11 years.
28. Around 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun.
29. The Sun produces energy through a process called nuclear fusion in which the hydrogen nuclei combine into helium.
30. Scientists believe that the Sun’s core will run out of its energy in about 5 billion years.
31. Many cultures have worshiped the Sun as God. The Egyptians called the Sun God Ra.
32. The Sun is middle-aged when compared to billions of stars in the galaxy.
33. The Sun’s strong gravity holds all planets in their places.
34. There are some regions in the Sun where the temperature is not that strong; those spots are called ‘sun spots’. Sunspots are magnetic regions and look like dark spots on the Sun. A sudden explosion of energy near the Sunspots due to magnetic fields is known as Solar flares (4).
35. Staring at the Sun directly without wearing protective glasses on a bright sunny day can damage the eye.
36. During a full solar eclipse, the chromosphere can sometimes be seen as a thin, fine red line, and the corona encircling it.

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37. Many believe the world-famous monument, Stonehenge, was used to worship the Sun God.

Theories of the Solar System

38. Previously, it was believed that the Sun rotates around the Earth.
39. Ancient Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos was the first to say that the planets revolved around the Sun. (c.310-c.230 BC)

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40. 300 years later, another astronomer Ptolemy presented his ‘Ptolemaic system’ claiming the Earth is the center of the Universe. His theory remained for the next 1400 years.

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41. Nicholas Copernicus, the famous Polish scientist, published his work called ’De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium’. He worked to establish that the planets revolved around the Sun.
42. People who believed Copernicus were imprisoned and some were even executed.
43. The works of famous astronomers and scientists such as Galileo and Johann Kepler reinforced the theory of Copernicus.

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44. Until Sir Isaac Newton published his theory of gravity, the concept of the Solar system was also not accepted entirely.
45. The Sun has a specific sound. Watch this video by NASA to know how it sounds.

Fun Activities Related To The Sun

The Sun is a constant source of wonder to children. These easy activities will increase their curiosity about this great ball of energy.

1. Simple sundial

Take a paper plate and stick a pencil through the center. This is a sundial. Place this sundial in a sunny spot and ask your child to mark the position of the shadow throughout the day.

2. Sun’s layers poster

Cut circles of decreasing size from colored paper. Stack the layers on a board and glue them together. Each of these layers represents a layer of the Sun such as the core, the radiative zone, and so on.

3. Solar oven

Line the inside of a pizza box with aluminum foil. Place black paper at the bottom to absorb heat. Place some marshmallows or chocolate in the box and cover with plastic wrap. Place this “oven” in sunlight. After some time, you can see the melted marshmallows or chocolate.

The sun plays a prominent role in the Earth’s seasonal changes, the occurrence of day and night, the solstice and equinox and many other naturally occurring phenomena.

Do you know more fun facts about the Sun? Tell us about them in the comment box below.

Infographic: Life Without The Sun

The Sun is the first component children are taught about when learning about the solar system. The center of our solar system, the Sun, is a giant ball of gas that lights up our planet and is our “day star.” But have you ever wondered what would happen if it stopped existing? This infographic will help children learn how vital the Sun is for our existence and its role in supporting life on our planet.

So save this infographic to help your children understand the Sun’s importance.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Fun And Interesting Sun Facts For Kids To Know

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Learn all about the sun in this fun and educational video for kids! Discover its size, temperature, and how it affects our lives. Explore the mysteries of space and astronomy!

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