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Is sun a star?
Is sun a star? What is a star?
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The Sun is an integral part of the solar system in terms of quantity and energy. The radiation of the Sun transmits climate to the planets and is a major source of energy for the earth’s biosphere. The Sun is the Rosetta Stone for studying astrophysical processes in decisions that other stars cannot easily reach. The results of these solar studies can be used to understand other stars, including their design structures and interior structures. In the realm of physics the Sun plays a unique role. Element helium – the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen – was discovered in the solar system. The Sun serves as one of the test beds of Einstein’s view of General Relativity. The nature of the subatomic particles called neutrinos – a product of nuclear events in the hot and dense part of the sun and stars like the sun – has been determined as a result of solar observations. The Sun serves as a research laboratory for plasma physics, that is, to study the interaction between ionized gas and magnetic fields.
In addition to its role as an integral part of our solar system, the Sun is also a star in the universe. The Sun is sometimes referred to as a “normal” or “middle” star. Perhaps if we were to measure together in some way the statistically significant and astronomical structures of the largest and coolest stars, we would have the basic characteristics of the Sun. But nearly as many stars as the sun make up about 5% of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy! More than 80% of the stars in our galaxy are cool, no large “red” stars. The Sun is far from ideal!
Astronomers offer a wide range of body parameters – the rate of rotation, weight, temperature, and many other chemicals – which are not only found in the Sun. Therefore, stellar studies allow the investigation of a broader astrophysical performance of models developed in the solar system. In other words, since we cannot distinguish the structures of the Sun, we study other stars with different masses, rotation levels, and temperatures to determine how much of our effects on the Sun apply to other stars or when our models and ideas need to be modified. A critical and ongoing question in modern astrophysics is whether the Sun is very similar to other stars like the sun or whether it is different.
