Cosmic Cycles 1: The Sun

  • Released Thursday, May 11, 2023

Born from a swirling cloud of dust and gas some 4.6 billion years ago, our Sun seethes and boils like a living thing. It is the very center of our solar system, and large enough to encompass 1.3 million Earths. Explosions flash on its surface in colors of light beyond human vision and enormous loops of plasma stretch into space. The Sun’s influence extends out beyond the planets, creating a protective cocoon within the galaxy.

To learn more, visit science.nasa.gov/heliophysics

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Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. However, individual items should be credited as indicated above.

Release date

This page was originally published on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 8:56 AM EDT.