How does the size, heat, and brightness of our sun compare to the average star?
The Sun: It is a self-luminous, gaseous sphere. It has no solid surface. Its size is about 100 times that of the Earth and its mass is roughly 300,000 times that of the Earth. Its central temperature is 15 million degrees Kelvin (27 million degrees Fahrenheit), while its visible surface is a relatively cool 6,000 degrees Kelvin (10,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The Sun is composed mainly of hydrogen and some helium. The heavier elements (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, iron, gold, and the rest) make up only about 2% of the Sun’s mass. Some Properties of the Sun: Radius = 435,000 miles Mass = 330,000 Earth masses Surface temperature = 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit At center: Temperature = 27 million degrees Fahrenheit Pressure = 300 billion Earth atmospheres Density = 160 times that of water Current age = 4.6 billion years The Sun’s Luminosity: The Sun’s brightness– referred to as one solar luminosity — is comparable to that of 4 trillion trillion one-hundred-watt light bulbs. Other Stars: The Sun i
