travel_exploreDiscovery · Our star, the Sun

☀️ Our star, the Sun

What are sunspots? Simple, true our star, the sun facts for young children, each with a fun fact, a tiny activity and a question to talk about together.

Tap a question to reveal the answer, share the fun fact, try the tiny activity, then talk about it together.

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What are sunspots? Revealexpand_more

Sunspots are darker, cooler patches that appear on the surface of the Sun. They look dark only because they are a little cooler than the blazing gas around them. They come and go over weeks, and counting them helps scientists follow how active the Sun is.

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Talk about itThe Sun looks calm from here, but it is stormy up close. What else looks calm from far away?

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Did you know?A single sunspot can be many times wider than the whole Earth.

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Try itNever look straight at the Sun. Instead, look up safe photos of sunspots and count how many you can find.

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☀️💥What are solar flares?🌌What makes the northern lights?✨How do stars shine so brightly?

🤖Still curious?Why is the Sun sometimes more active than at other times?arrow_forward

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What are solar flares? Revealexpand_more

A solar flare is a sudden burst of energy that leaps off the Sun, throwing light and tiny particles out into space. When that stream of particles reaches Earth, our planet's invisible magnetic shield protects us, but the burst can still disturb satellites and radios.

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Talk about itThe Sun protects and powers us but can also be wild. How do you feel knowing that?

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Did you know?Particles blasted from the Sun can reach Earth in only a day or two.

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Try itFlick a stretched rubber band and watch it snap forward. A flare releases stored energy in a sudden snap like that.

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☀️☀️What are sunspots?🌌What makes the northern lights?✨How do stars shine so brightly?

🤖Still curious?How does Earth protect us from the Sun's particles?arrow_forward

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What makes the northern lights? Revealexpand_more

The northern lights, or aurora, appear when tiny particles from the Sun crash into the air high above the Earth's poles. As they hit gases in the sky, they make them glow in ribbons of green, pink and purple. It is a little like how a glowing sign lights up when energy passes through its gas.

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Talk about itSeeing the aurora is on many people's dream lists. What is a sight you would love to see one day?

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Did you know?There are southern lights too, glowing over the bottom of the world at the same time.

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Try itLook up photos of the aurora and notice the colours. Each colour comes from a different gas high in the sky.

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☀️💥What are solar flares?☀️What are sunspots?🌙Why does the Moon stay near the Earth?

🤖Still curious?Why do the northern lights mostly appear near the poles?arrow_forward

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How long will the Sun keep shining? Revealexpand_more

The Sun is about halfway through its life and has enough fuel to keep shining for roughly another five billion years. That is far longer than anyone can imagine, so there is no need to worry. Near the very end, it will slowly swell, cool and change, as ordinary stars do.

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Talk about itFive billion years is almost impossible to picture. What is the longest amount of time you can imagine?

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Did you know?The Sun is already about four and a half billion years old.

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Try itDraw a long line for the Sun's life and mark a dot halfway. That dot is roughly where we are right now.

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☀️💥What happens when a star dies?✨How do stars shine so brightly?🪐How did the solar system form?

🤖Still curious?What will happen to the Sun at the end of its life?arrow_forward

☀️ Our star, the Sun

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