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Sun: Quick Facts

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News •

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe discovers a hidden pattern in the Sun’s chaotic magnetic fields • Nov. 11, 2026, 9:36 PM ET (Science Daily)
Scientists Simulated Solar Explosions in The Lab – And May Have Solved One of The Sun's Biggest Mysteries • Oct. 25, 2026, 5:01 AM ET (ScienceAlert)

Photos and Videos

Joshua Tree National Park
solar system to scale
Inland Sea
photosphere of the Sun
A timeline diagram illustrates the life cycle of a medium-sized star, showing its progression from a cloud of hydrogen and dust, to a main-phase star like the Sun, then to a red giant, and finally collapsing into a white dwarf, with each stage labeled and depicted by a glowing sphere.
internal rotation of the Sun
A horizontal diagram of the visible solar spectrum displays colors from violet to red, labeled with wavelength values in nanometers and prominent Fraunhofer lines marking where elements like hydrogen, magnesium, and sodium absorb light.
Sun as seen by Hinode's X-ray telescope
chromosphere
active region of the Sun
The black silhouette of a man standing in front of high resolution NASA images of the Sun.
How to watch a solar eclipse
Explore the physics behind nuclear fusion and the Sun
Observe a dopplergram showing the velocity of solar material in the photosphere captured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
Watch gas updrafts form convection cells on the Sun's surface before dissolving or exploding
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