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What is the Sun?

The Sun gives us heat and light. Have you ever wondered what the Sun is?

In this article you can find out:

  • What the Sun is
  • How the Sun's heat and light affect our daily life
  • What ultraviolet light is
  • How to measure sunshine hours

This resource is suitable for weather topics for primary school learners.

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Video - What is the Sun?

Watch this video to learn about the Sun and the energy it provides us.

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Facts about the Sun

  1. The Sun is a star, a bright ball made up of glowing gases.
  2. Most of the Sun is a gas called hydrogen.
  3. The Sun is huge. You could fit the Earth into the sun almost one million times.
  4. The Sun gives us heat and light, even though it's 150 million kilometres away from the Earth!
  5. The Sun also gives us ultraviolet light. This is a type of energy that you can鈥檛 see or feel but which can give you sun burn.
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The power of the Sun

Discover how we can measure energy from the Sun and protect ourselves from its heat and light in this slideshow.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, A Campbell Stokes sunshine recorder, Sunshine recorder This sunshine recorder focuses the sun's rays through the crystal ball and burns a hole onto the strip of card underneath. The number of burn marks and their length shows how much sunlight there has been during a day.
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How to measure sunshine hours

Video - Measuring sunshine hours

With help from 成人快手 Weather's Kawser Quamer, learn:

  • Why it is important to measure sunshine hours
  • How we measure sunshine at weather stations
  • The history of the Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder

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Key words

Key words about the Sun

  • star - A bright ball of glowing gases including hydrogen and helium.
  • evaporation - When water turns into a gas.
  • water vapour - Water in the form of an invisible gas.
  • ultraviolet light - A type of energy, given off by the sun. Ultraviolet light can affect our skin and give us sunburn if we're not careful!
  • sunscreen - A special cream that we need to rub on ourselves to stop the sun damaging our skin.
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Test your knowledge

Quiz

Try this short multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge of the Sun

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Challenge

Challenge

Write a report about the Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder.

Can you do your own research and write a clear informative report about the Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder?

Here are some tips for writing your report:

  • Before you write a report, it is important to research the subject. Make organised notes in preparation.
  • When you are ready to write your report, start with a large clear title.
  • Write a short introduction to let the reader know what you are writing about.
  • Break up your information with subheadings.
  • Use your notes to write clear detailed paragraphs under the different headings.
  • Include pictures to make your fact file more interesting.
  • Your report should use formal language and shouldn't include any of your opinions.

If you need some help writing a report, you can get more information here: How to write a report.

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More to learn about the Sun

How can we use the energy of the Sun to generate electricity?

Solar energy. revision-guide

Solar power uses the energy of the Sun to generate electricity. Find out how solar power works and how it can help us live more sustainably.

Solar energy
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