The Sun
The sun is an ordinary star , one of about 100 billion in our galaxy , the Milky Way. The sun has extremely important influences on our planet: It drives weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate , and makes plant life possible through photosynthesis . Without the sun’s heat and light, life on Earth would not exist. The Sun moves around the Galactic Center of the Milky Way , at a distance of 26,660 light years . From Earth, it is about 8 light minutes away. It’s diameter is about 109 times that of Earth . It’s mass is about 330,000 times that of Earth, making up about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System. Roughly three-quarters of the Sun's mass consists of hydrogen (~73%); the rest is mostly helium (~25%), with much smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen , carbon , neon , and iron . The sun was born about 4.6 billion years ago. Many scientists think the sun and the rest of the solar system ...