About the Sun

The sun is the biggest, brightest, and hottest source of light available to us on the earth. It is in the center of our solar system and all the other planets, including Earth, spin around it. Did you know that the sun is actually a star? The outside of the sun (its surface) is covered with very hot gases. The different gases mix together and cause reactions that are called nuclear reactions. Nuclear reactions create a lot of energy, which makes the sun very hot. The heat creates a lot of light too. Did you know that the sun is so bright that it will damage your eyes if you look directly at it? The light from the sun can also hurt your skin. Have you ever had a sunburn? Although sun rays can hurt our bodies if we aren't careful, nothing would be able to live on the earth without the energy we get from the sun in the forms of heat and light. Plants use energy from the sun to make food, then animals and humans eat plants for food. Without the sun, Earth would be too cold for anyone or anything to live.

The sun is 93 million miles away from Earth. If it were possible to drive from here to there, it would take over 150 years driving about the same speed you would travel on a highway! However, light travels very fast and can get from the sun to the earth in about 8 minutes!

                                                      What Is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is light and heat that comes from the sun. Solar means sun and energy is what we need in order to do things. We use energy to do things like eat breakfast and play outside. Energy is also in things around us, like light and heat. The sun shines in the day, giving us light. It also makes the earth warmer, giving us heat. Solar energy is known as renewable energy, which means that it can never run out.

The rays of light and beams of heat from the sun contain energy that can be changed into electricity through a device called a solar cell or solar panel. Solar cells are made of a material that absorbs energy from the sun. Once it is inside of the cell, the energy breaks up into electrons and protons. Electrons have a negative charge and protons have a positive charge. All the negative charges are attracted to one side of the solar cell and the positive charges are attracted to the other side. When the solar cell is connected through wires to a light bulb or other object, it works like a battery and electrons flow through the wire and bringing electrical energy to a light bulb that makes it light up.