4.5 The Sun's Energy

Introduction

Our Sun is a star. It is not a particularly large star, nor is it considered small. In fact, it's rather ordinary, as far as stars go. It is a yellow dwarf star, and is the closest star to Earth.

While the Sun may not be extraordinary in the category of stars, it is of great importance to us on Earth. The Sun controls our climate and weather, and sustains all life on Earth. Without it, we would not exist.

Scientists study the Sun carefully and closely. From it, they have learned many things about stars in general: their structures and the processes that drive them. In this lesson, we will look at the characteristics of the Sun, and the processes that are involved in generating and distributing the heat that sustains us.