The sun is the source of life on Earth. It warms us, bathing our planet in its golden glow by day and displaying its full orange and red splendor as it greets or bids farewell to the day. How well do we know our star? This infographic offers some interesting facts about the golden orb that keeps the Earth lit and warm.
It’s the center of our universe with the Earth 93 million miles away, and that’s the perfect distance. Any closer and the warmth of the sun would make life on earth a little warmer, further away and we’d likely see the glaciers in the north and south grow larger. The sun is a ball of the super-heated gases hydrogen and helium, and its gravity keeps all of the planets in our solar system orbiting.
Alas, but the sun won’t be around forever. In around five billion years it will run out of hydrogen. It will continue to burn helium for around 130 million years and will then start to collapse into itself, becoming a red dwarf and absorbing some of the orbiting planets, including Earth. At least in the meantime, we can continue to bask in its glorious golden warmth.