ASTRONOMY 101: THE SUN

Without the Sun life on Earth could not exist. The Sun heats our planet, provides light for us to see, gives us the energy needed for our food to grow, brings us summer, and provides other important or essential things we may take for granted. Scientists have been studying the Sun for centuries, and have recently learned much about its chemical composition, relationship to other stars, and more. How much do you know about this indispensable piece of our sky?

Special thanks to Learning Life intern, Craig Gusmann, for researching and drafting this quiz.    

Without the Sun life on Earth could not exist. The Sun heats our planet, provides light for us to see, gives us the energy needed for our food to grow, brings us summer, and provides other important or essential things we may take for granted. Scientists have been studying the Sun for centuries, and have recently learned much about its chemical composition, relationship to other stars, and more. How much do you know about this indispensable piece of our sky?

Special thanks to Learning Life intern, Craig Gusmann, for researching and drafting this quiz.

1. One Astronomical Unit (AU) is 150 billion kilometers, or about 93 million miles. How many AUs is the Earth from our Sun?

.5

1

1.5

2.25

3

2. Approximately how many Earths can fit inside the sun?

15

425

5,230

78,500

1,000,000

3. Approximately how hot is the Sun’s core, in degrees Fahrenheit?

700

6,000

81,000

660,000

27,000,000

4. What gas makes up over 90% of our Sun?

Helium

Hydrogen

Carbon Dioxide

Oxygen

Nitrogen

5. How old is our Sun, in years?

400,000

5.2 million

175 million

7,810 million

4.5 billion

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