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The Sun

Author: Brianna Reilly

The Sun - At Home Learning

It will be your responsibility to complete this tutorial about the Sun. You will be assessed on this information, in addition to information found in your book (Chapter 26.1).

All life on Earth depends on sunlight - without the sun, Earth with be a lifeless planet. Through this tutorial, you will discover how the sun releases energy, how it remains in balance, and the structure of Earth's Interior and Atmosphere.


Energy From the Sun

The sun creates energy through the process of Nuclear Fusion happening within the Sun's core. In this region, the pressure and temperature is high enough that hydrogen nuclei can fuse into helium nuclei

Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2 shows that mass can be converted to energy. The fusion process creates energy in the sun.

Crash Course Astronomy: The Sun

The Sun in Balance

The sun has been a stable energy source for billions of years. In order for the sun to be stable, inward and outward forces must be in equilibrium. When forces are balanced, temperature, pressure, and density of the sun remain mostly constant over time.


The energy from nuclear fusion happening in the sun's core exerts an outward thermal pressure. At the same time, gravity pulls the gas inward. The sun remains stable because the pull of gravity and the push of thermal pressure from nuclear fusion balance each other.


This balance of forces will allow the sun to remain stable for another 3-5 billion year.

The Parts of the Sun

Read through each description of the parts of the sun. Scroll over each link to learn more.

Padlet: What questions do you have?

Use the padlet linked below to ask questions you have about the Sun, the life cycle of the Sun, or anything covered in this digital lesson.


https://padlet.com/breilly39/thesun