Video - The Incredible Sun: A Giant Ball of Gas

Did you know that the sun is actually a giant ball of gas that is 93 million miles away from Earth? The sun's core reaches temperatures of about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit! The sun is so large that you could fit 1.3 million Earths inside it. Sunspots are dark areas on the sun's surface that are cooler than the surrounding areas. Solar flares are massive explosions of energy that can be seen from Earth. The sun's energy is produced through nuclear fusion, where hydrogen atoms are converted into helium. The sun is about 4.6 billion years old and is expected to last another 5 billion years. The sun's gravitational pull keeps all the planets in our solar system in orbit. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun's light. The sun is essential for life on Earth, providing warmth, light, and energy for plants to grow through photosynthesis.