Sun

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

You think this song is silly, that you know what it’s about. But it’s more than spiders, washed out of a spout. It mentions that the sun shines, providing light and heat, And that water goes away when the heat and water meet!

You get evaporation when water’s heated up. Water turns to gas when it’s busy drying up. Heat’s a major factor in changing states of stuff, ‘Cause it also makes things melt when they’re heated up enough!

What happens to water in the sun? How does it change? What part of the water cycle does this represent? When do you think this takes place in the original song?

A Closer Look at Space: Sun and Stars (14 min) - Stop when it gets to constellations 6

What surprises you the most about the surface of the sun? Compare the size of the Sun with the size of the Earth. Why does the Sun look so small in the sky? What is a sunspot?

What is the Sun made of? Why is the Sun so important to us? What forms of energy does the Sun give off? What is the Sun’s role in the water cycle? What does it do?

If the Sun is so much bigger than the Earth or any other planet, why does it look small in the sky? It is so far away Why is the Sun important for us on Earth? The Sun provides us the light and heat energy in order to survive.

Why do we need light energy to survive? The Sun is the primary source of energy in the food chain providing light for plants so that they can make their own food and consumers in turn can eat them and receive energy. Why is the hear energy from the Sun so important? The Sun provides the energy to create and continue the water cycle. It heats the water that evaporates in the air, condensates, and then precipitates back on Earth.

YOUR TOP 10 SUN FACTS 1. The sun is a star. This makes it extremely important for life on Earth. The sun provides us with energy, which brings life on our planet. It defines the seasons, the harvests, and even the sleep patterns of all living creatures on Earth. 2. The sun is the closest star to our planet. Imagine two cars on the road during the night with their headlights on. One car is closer to you and the other one is far away. Which headlights would seem brighter and bigger? That explains why we see the sun so big and bright. It is simply the nearest star to Earth.

3. Remember! The Earth orbits around the sun. 4. The sun is way bigger than the Earth. In fact its radius is 109 times bigger than the radius of the Earth. For those of you who are curious, the sun’s Radius is 696,000km and the Earth’s radius is 6, 376km. 5. DON’T TOUCH THE SUN! IT’S HOT! The sun’s average surface temperature is 5700 C. Compare that to the Earth’s average temperature, which is 20 C.

6. The sun is 150 million km (93 million miles) away from the Earth. 7. How old is the sun? Can you imagine 4.5 billion years? 8. We know that the Earth’s structure consists of different layers. The sun also has layers but unlike the Earth, the sun is entirely gaseous; there is no solid surface.

9. The sun rotates on its axis approximately once every 26 days 9. The sun rotates on its axis approximately once every 26 days. The sun is made of gas, which is why its different parts rotate at different speeds. The fastest rotation is around the equator and the slowest rotation is at the sun’s polar regions (more than 30 days). 10. The sun changes. No matter when or where we look at the sun, we will always see something interesting. Scientists observe these changes by watching the sunspots. They increase and decrease on a regular cycle of about 10.8 years.