Sun
NASA uses the unique vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet and our home star in order to achieve our vision: To improve life here, extend life to there, and find life beyond.
The relationship between the Sun and the Earth is at the heart of a complex, dynamic system we do not yet fully understand. The Earth-Sun system, like the human body, is comprised of diverse components that interact in complex ways, requiring unique capabilities for characterizing, understanding and predicting change. Therefore, we need to understand the Sun, the heliosphere, and Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere as a single connected system.
At the center of our solar system is the Sun, a magnetically variable star. This variability has impacts on life and technology that are felt here on Earth and throughout the solar system. NASA is working to understand the Sun, our own star, and the Earth, our own planetary system, because they comprise the only star-planet system we can investigate in detail. Using our view from space to study the Earth-Sun system, we can also better predict critical changes to Earth and its space environment.
INTRO:
One of the most important features of every day life is the sun. It rises and sets, and we use it to fix our daily routine. Without it we would not receive the light and heat that provides us with energy. This star, our sun, is very unique. Most stars are visible only at night, but our sun is visible at daytime. It is the closest star to earth. Since the star is so close to us, we are able to know much about its surface. Similar to all stars, the sun is a ball of hot gas. It has an interior as well as an atmosphere. The sun's surface is known as the photosphere. It's surface is largely uniform in brightness and becomes slightly darker on its edges. The sun is one of our sources of energy. Nuclear fusion is the process by which energy in the sun is...
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