OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaDid you know that the Sun is actually a star? It looks much bigger and brighter than the other stars because it is so much closer to us. The other stars in the night sky are also suns, but they are so far away that they look like tiny dots of light!
The Sun is a giant ball of hot, glowing gas. Deep inside, tiny particles smash together and release huge amounts of energy. This energy comes out as light and heat. The Sun is about 93 million miles from Earth, which is close enough to warm us up but far enough away that we do not burn up!
- Over one million Earths could fit inside the Sun.
- The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old and will keep shining for another five billion years.
- If you could drive a car to the nearest star after the Sun, it would take over 50 million years to get there!
