THE SUN

The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star and the heart of our Solar System. It is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. Observing the Sun requires specialized, extremely narrow-band filters (like Hydrogen-Alpha or Calcium-K) to safely reveal the turbulent, highly dynamic nature of our local star.

Designation

Sol (G2V Star)

Distance from Earth

~149.6 Million km (1 AU)

Diameter

1.39 Million km (109x Earth)

Surface Temperature

~5,500 °C (Photosphere)

Core Temperature

~15 Million °C

Composition

73% Hydrogen, 25% Helium

Sun Image Gallery

I photograph the Sun from my backyard using various astrophotography setups. I typically use an 80/480 or 102/714 refractor combined with a Daystar Quark Chromosphere solar filter and various imaging cameras, such as the ToupTek ATR428M and Svbony SV605MC. Precise tracking and stability of the entire setup are handled by a modern Scorpio Astro SA-17M harmonic drive mount.