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Astronomers estimate that the universe could contain up to one septillion stars – that’s a one followed by 24 zeros. Our Milky Way alone contains more than 100 billion, including our most well-studied star, the Sun. Stars are giant balls of hot gas – mostly hydrogen, with some helium and small amounts of other elements.
- Solar System
The solar system has one star, eight planets, five dwarf...
- Stars and Galaxies
After a long and historic period of exploring the four giant...
- Our Solar System
Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and...
- Solar System
The Sun is the star at the heart of our solar system. Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything – from the biggest planets to the smallest bits of debris – in its orbit. 19. Active Missions. 13. Upcoming Missions. Overview.
The Sun is the Solar System's star and by far its most massive component. Its large mass (332,900 Earth masses), which comprises 99.86% of all the mass in the Solar System, produces temperatures and densities in its core high enough to sustain nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium.
The Sun is a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star – a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium – at the center of our solar system. It’s about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth and it’s our solar system’s only star. Without the Sun’s energy, life as we know it could not exist on our home planet.
