At a Glance
Sun: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- 6 Questions About the Sun AnsweredWhat is the Sun made of?
- aphelion
- history of EuropeRituals, religion, and art
- calendar
- calendarAdoption in various countries
- cosmic rayCosmic rays from the Sun
- heliocentrism
- How Big Is the Sun?
- How Far Is the Sun from Earth?
- How Hot Is the Sun?
- eclipseSolar eclipse phenomena
- solar eclipse
- solar neutrino problem
- astronomyStudy of the solar system
- space explorationSolar and space physics
- space weather
- The Sun Was Eaten6 Ways Cultures Have Explained Eclipses
- timeRotational time
- aureole
- luminescenceRadioluminescence
- climate changeSolar variability
- climateDistribution of radiant energy from the Sun
- geomagnetic fieldThe ionospheric dynamo
- geomagnetic fieldVariations in the ionospheric dynamo current
- navigationDirection finding
- navigationThe marine chronometer
- solar constant
- tide
- sun dog
- star clusterOpen clusters
- starThe Sun as a point of comparison
- astronomyMeasuring observable stellar properties
- celestial mechanicsEarly theories
- celestial mechanicsTidal evolution
- chemical elementStars and gas clouds
- conjunction
- coronal mass ejection
- spectroscopyHistorical survey
- electromagnetic radiationOccurrence and importance
- electromagnetic radiationRadiation laws and Planck’s light quanta
- JupiterProportions of constituents
- EarthDevelopment of Earth’s structure and composition
- parallax
- gravityEarly concepts
- gravityThe principle of equivalence
- infrared source
- interplanetary medium
- Milky Way GalaxyProper motions
- weak interaction
- X-ray source
- Charles Greeley Abbot
- Harold Delos Babcock
- Friedrich Wilhelm BesselLife and accomplishments
- Hans BetheFrom atomic warrior to political physicist
- William Wallace Campbell
- Nicolaus Copernicus
- Nils Christofer Dunér
- Eudoxus of CnidusAstronomer
- GalileoTelescopic discoveries of Galileo
- HipparchusSolar and lunar theory
- Johannes KeplerKepler’s social world
- Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer
- Ptolemaic system
Additional Reading
Popular works on the Sun include Michael J. Carlowicz and Ramon E. Lopez, Storms from the Sun: The Emerging Science of Space Weather (2002); Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff, Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of Our Sun (2001); Kenneth R. Lang, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Sun (2001), and The Sun from Space, 2nd ed. (2009). Works of a more technical nature include Peter Foukal, Solar Astrophysics, 2nd ed. (2004); and Markus J. Aschwanden, Physics of the Solar Corona, 2nd ed. (2006).
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
-
Kenneth Lang
Professor of astrophysics and radio astronomy, Tufts University. Prof. Lang is a world renowned author of popular and scholarly books in astronomy and astrophysics.
- Harold Zirin
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
- Barbara A. Schreiber
- Adam Augustyn
- Piyush Bhathya
- Swati Chopra
- Erik Gregersen
- John Higgins
- Parul Jain
- Robert Lewis
- Gita Liesangthem
- Rick Livingston
- Gloria Lotha
- Meg Matthias
- Richard Pallardy
- Dutta Promeet
- Emily Rodriguez
- Marco Sampaolo
- Veenu Setia
- Shiveta Singh
- Grace Young
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Astrophysical processes on the Sun. | May 05, 2026 | ||
| Media added. | Jul 14, 2025 | ||
| Link added. | Jun 10, 2024 | ||
| Media added. | May 25, 2023 | ||
| Added interactive media. | May 24, 2023 | ||
| Media added. | May 08, 2023 | ||
| Links added. | May 05, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: The Planets - Sun Facts. | Apr 04, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: LiveScience - The sun: Facts about the bright star at the center of the solar system. | Nov 09, 2022 | ||
| Add new Web site: Space.com - Earth's sun: Facts about the sun's age, size and history. | Aug 19, 2022 | ||
| New media added. | Feb 04, 2021 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Oct 30, 2020 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Jul 11, 2018 | ||
| Add new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Sun. | Mar 12, 2018 | ||
| Media added. | Aug 11, 2017 | ||
| Add new Web site: Easy Science for Kids - Sun. | Dec 16, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: Kidz World - Sun. | Dec 15, 2016 | ||
| Added video about fusion. | Dec 03, 2015 | ||
| Added video. | Sep 02, 2015 | ||
| Add new Web site: Wolfram Research - Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Royal Museums Greenwich - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Iloveindia.com - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Quatr.us - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: KidsAstronomy.com - Sun. | Jan 28, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids! - Sun Facts. | Mar 16, 2012 | ||
| Added illustration of sunspots from Galileo's Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari e loro accidenti. | Feb 08, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: NeoK12 - Educational Videos and Games for School Kids - Sun. | Nov 03, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: None. | Sep 29, 2011 | ||
| Added video depicting a spinning sunspot. | May 27, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: STEREO - Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. | Feb 07, 2011 | ||
| Added sequence of images from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) depicting the magnetic field structure of the Sun. | Aug 06, 2010 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Jul 28, 2010 | ||
| Bibliography revised and updated. | Jul 22, 2010 | ||
| Information about solar neutrino problem added. | Nov 24, 2009 | ||
| Drawing of sunspots by Scheiner added. | Nov 24, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Solar Activity. | May 01, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - The Solar Atmosphere. | May 01, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - The Solar Interior. | May 01, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: NASA - Star Child - The Sun. | Apr 16, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Extreme Science - The Sun. | Apr 16, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: National Geographic - Science - The Sun. | Apr 16, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Kids Know It Network - Educational Song, "The Earth Goes Around The Sun". | Apr 07, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Purdue University - Mustard. | Apr 07, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Purdue University - Mustard. | Apr 07, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Kids Know It Network - Educational Song, "The Earth Goes Around The Sun". | Apr 07, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Science NetLinks - The Warmth of the Sun. | Feb 17, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Science NetLinks - The Warmth of the Sun. | Feb 17, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: None. | Jan 02, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Hyperphysics - The Sun. | Dec 11, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation - The Sun. | Dec 11, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: NASA - Science - Sun. | Nov 10, 2008 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Nov 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: NASA - Star Child - Our Sun. | Jun 16, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Public Service Projects - How the Sun Works in Making Light and Heat. | Jun 16, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Quatr.us - The Sun in Greek Astronomy. | Jun 16, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Brooklyn College - The Sun's Energy. | Jun 16, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Office of Naval Research - Naval Research: The Sun - Inflows. | May 19, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: AstronomyOnline.org - The Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: NASA - The Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: FusEdWeb | Fusion Energy Education - Layers of the Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Montana State University Solar Physics - Layer of the Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Layers of the Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: NMSU Board of Regents - The Sun. | Apr 10, 2008 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Jan 02, 2008 | ||
| Bibliography revised and updated. | Jan 02, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: NASA - Solar Physics - The Solar Interior. | Jan 24, 2007 | ||
| Added new Web site: Solar Physics. | Oct 30, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Our Solar System. | Jul 07, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: The New York Times - Exploring the Solar System. | Jun 28, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: The Nine Planets - Phobos. | Jun 08, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Surfing For Sunbeams - A Hypermedia Tour of Our Sun. | Jun 06, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Stanford SOLAR Center. | Jun 06, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Montana State University - Yohkoh Public Outreach Project. | Jun 06, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Exploratorium - Sunspots. | May 31, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Exploratorium - Sunspots. | May 31, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - All About Astronomy. | May 26, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Sun, Planet and Satellite Data. | May 16, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Astronomy Magazine. | May 12, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Views of the Solar System - Sun. | May 12, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Sun, Planet and Satellite Data. | May 11, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Sun, Planet and Satellite Data. | May 11, 2006 | ||
| Article revised. | Mar 28, 2003 | ||
| Article revised. | Apr 12, 2002 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jan 12, 2000 |
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Article History
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