Which of these facts is true about the sun?

The Sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass in the solar system. It has a mass of around 330,000 times that of Earth. It is three quarters hydrogen and most of its remaining mass is helium.

Over one million Earth’s could fit inside the Sun. If you were to fill a hollow Sun with spherical Earths, somewhere around 960,000 would fit inside. However, if you squashed those Earths to ensure there was no wasted space then you could fit 1,300,000 Earths inside the Sun. The surface area of the Sun is 11,990 times that of Earth.

The Sun is estimated to be about halfway through its life. At 4.6 billion years old, the Sun has burned off around half of its hydrogen stores and has enough left to continue burning hydrogen for another 5 billion years. Currently the Sun is a yellow dwarf star.

More Info: theplanets.org

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

25 Comments

Ken Putnam

And the curse of "All Are Correct" strikes again

seane

Sounds scary when you hear half way through it's life! But what a relief 5 billion years to go!

Wyla Reedy

We better start working on our Warp Engine or find that worm hole.

William Laughlin

Frank Cowell, Exactly right. It should have asked "which STATEMENT is true?"

David Roy

seane, as long as it doesn't have a midlife crisis.

Chris Brown

Did you know?... The cosmic microwave background, in Big Bang cosmology, is electromagnetic radiation which is a remnant from an early stage of the universe, also known as "relic radiation". The CMB is faint cosmic background radiation filling all space. Energy density 0.260 eV/cm3 The energy density of the CMB is 0.260 eV/cm3 (4.17×10−14 J/m3) which yields about 411 photons/cm3. You can't see the CMB with your naked eye, but it is everywhere in the universe. It is invisible to humans because it is so cold, just 2.725 degrees above absolute zero (minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius.)

John Smith

You measure it very carefully, wearing oven mitts!!

JRW

Ken Putnam, I always give these questions a thumbs down!

Joanne Serin

Another choice, it's hot.

garrett scott

Right in the question you said all were facts, so all four had to be true.

Jerry Edwards

Howard Groopman, The way it's going, this will probably be the case in about 20 years time!

William Laughlin

Jerry Heitzman, I said the same thing a week ago!

Jerry Heitzman

Frank Cowell, "statements" would have been better!

Akeel1701

seane, yeah but in about half a billion years the sun will be 10% hotter and brighter and it'll be too hot for life from then on

Akeel1701

James Webb, so you're saying the Egyptians were right? And the aztecs, the maya and the incas? ;)

Jacqueline Tattam

Carole Benner, sigh…here we go again. If you choose any other option besides “all are correct”, you are saying that the others are INCORRECT…so there is only ONE correct answer.

Howard Groopman

Yes, because in about 5 billion years, the earth will cease to exist as we know it.

Playerkevin

It is amazing how it I still turning Hydrogen into Helium after millions of years. It does not seem possible this perpetual reaction, but there it is

Joris van Pelt

The Sun is travelling at 220 km per second. The Sun rotates in the opposite direction to Earth with the Sun rotating from west to east instead of east to west like Earth. Temperatures inside the Sun can reach 15 million degrees Celsius. The Sun is classified as a yellow dwarf star.