The Giant Fireball We Call the Sun

The Closest Star to the Earth Makes all Life on This Planet Possible

by Edwin Pichon, age 9

Nothing can live without the sun. The sun makes energy that gives off heat and light. If we didn’t have the sun the earth would be cold and dark, and no life would exist on the planet.
The sun is considered a star. It does not look like others because it is much closer. Because other stars are farther away, they look like tiny points of light. The center of the sun makes energy that heats up its gases and makes the sun glow.
The sun is so bright that if you look directly at it with a telescope or binoculars you could go blind.
Sometimes the moon and the earth line up directly. When this happens, the moon will hide the sun and the earth will become dark and cold. This is called an eclipse.
The sun is not solid like the earth, but rather a giant ball of lava. If you get too close to it you will melt. The earth spins around the sun. As a result, depending on where you are, you see either day or night.
The sun is a big star, but there are even bigger stars in deep space.





[Sources: 100 Things You Should Know About Space; Encyclopedia of Science ]

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