The sun


The sun is a star.


Like other stars, it is a huge, spinning ball of hot gas.


The sun is the closest star to Earth, and is the centre of our solar system.

The sun is a huge, spinning ball of hot gas that glows in the sky. Our sun is a medium sized star. It looks larger and brighter than the other stars because it the nearest star to Earth. It is about 150 million kilometres away.

The sun is the centre of our solar system, and all of the planets in our solar system, including Earth, orbit (travel) around it.

The sun also gives out rays called X-rays and ultraviolet (UV) rays which
are harmful.

The sun gives off heat and light energy which makes it possible for life to exisit on Earth

The sun spins like a top and its gravity holds the planets and other objects in the solar system in orbit around it. The nine planets and their satellites (moons) are the sun's satellites.


People in ancient Egypt, Asia and Greece worshipped the sun.
They thought that an eclipse of the sun, when the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks the light, was the sun god showing anger. The Greeks called the sun Helios. The Romans called it Sol.

You can read the kidcyber page about a solar eclipse here
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/solareclipse.htm

Early clocks, called sundials, measured shadows to tell the time.

Go here to read more about the sun

http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu//cosmic_kids/AskKids/sun.shtml

http://www.howstuffworks.com/sun.htm


Acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, Ron & Sydenham, Shirley. The Sun [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2009)

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updated February 2009 copyright kidcyber