The Sun

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields.

Characteristics
The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star comprising about 99. !" of the total mass of the Solar System. It is a nearperfect sphere# with an oblateness estimated at about 9 millionths#$%&' which means that its polar diameter differs from its equatorial diameter by only () *m.$% ' +s the Sun consists of a plasma and is not solid# it rotates faster at its equator than at its poles.

Planets
o Mercury o Venus o Earth o Mars o Jupiter o Saturn o Uranus o Neptune o Pluto

,alley-s Comet
. officially designated (/0,alley# is the best-*nown of the shortperiod comets and is visible from 1arth every &23&! years. ,alley is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the na*ed eye from 1arth# and thus the only na*ed-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. 4ther na*ed-eye comets may be brighter and more spectacular# but will appear only once in thousands of years.

Asteroids
. Asteroids are small Solar System bodies that are not comets, and historically referred to objects inside the orbit of Jupiter. hey ha!e also been called planetoids, especially the lar"er ones. hese terms ha!e historically been applied to any astronomical object orbitin" the Sun that did not sho# the dis$ of a planet and #as not obser!ed to ha!e the characteristics of an acti!e comet, but as small objects in the outer Solar System #ere disco!ered, their !olatile%based surfaces #ere found to more closely resemble comets, and so #ere often distin"uished from traditional asteroids.&'( hus the term asteroid has come increasin"ly to refer specifically to the small bodies of the inner Solar System out to the orbit of Jupiter, #hich are usually roc$y or metallic. hey are "rouped #ith the outer bodies) centaurs, Neptune trojans, and trans%Neptunian objects)as minor planets, #hich is the term preferred in astronomical circles.&*( his article #ill restrict the use of the term +asteroid+ to the minor planets of the inner Solar System.

Stars
. A star is a massi!e, luminous sphere of plasma held to"ether by "ra!ity. he nearest star to Earth is the Sun, #hich is the source of most of the ener"y on the planet. Some other stars are !isible from Earth durin" the ni"ht #hen they are not obscured by atmospheric phenomena, appearin" as a mass of fi,ed luminous points because of their immense distance. -istorically, the most prominent stars on the celestial sphere #ere "rouped to"ether into constellations and asterisms, and the bri"htest and lar"est stars ha!e "ained proper names. E,tensi!e catalo"ues of stars ha!e been assembled by astronomers, #hich pro!ide standardi.ed star desi"nations.

Part of the sun

'. /on!ecti!e 0one *. 1adiati!e 0one 2. /ore 3. Sunspots 4. Photosphere 5. /oronal -ole 6. /hromosphere 7. /orona 8. 9lare ':.Prominence .