The sun does not have a definite boundary as rocky planets do. However, due to our constantly changing vantage point from the earth as it orbits the sun, the apparent rotation of the sun at its equator is about 28 days. The sun's period of rotation is 25.6 days at the equator and 33.5 days at the poles. This is known as differential rotation (see Convection Zone below), and is caused by fluid rotational differences in the sun's interior due to steep temperature gradients from its core outwards. The sun's orbital velocity with respect to the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is about 828,000 miles per hour.īecause the sun exists in a plasma state and behaves like a heavy fluid (not a solid) it rotates faster at its equator than at its poles. It completes its orbit once every 235 million years. The sun revolves around the galactic center of the Milky Way at a radius of approximately 26,000 light years. It takes light 8 minutes and 19 seconds to travel this distance. The sun is about 93 million miles on average from earth's orbit, which is known as one Astronomical Unit (1 AU). The 2% rest consists of heavier elements: oxygen, carbon, iron and a smattering of other elements. 73% of the sun's mass is hydrogen while 25% is helium. The sun's mass is 333,000 times that of earth and is about 99.9% of the total mass of our whole solar system. Its surface area is approximately 12,000 times that of the earth. the temperature of its core is 15,700,000 Kelvin! The sun's diameter is 865,000 miles, which is 109 times that of the earth. The sun's surface temperature is 5,800 Kelvin or about 10,000 ☏. The spectacular picture to the left shows the sun's granular surface, a few surface flares, and an amazing edge prominence called the "Handle". Our sun's color is white, although from the surface of the earth it appears orange/yellow because of atmospheric scattering.
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