Harnessing the Power of the Sun

What comes to mind when you think of the sun? Does a bright big ball of fire come to mind? Do you think about how powerful this star is in our universe? Do you think about how vital it is to live? There are many things that perhaps come to mind. Below are some interesting facts about the sun and how it powers us with so much energy.

Interesting Facts about the Sun

The star that gleams brightly at the center of the solar system is the sun. It is a spherical shape of fuming hot plasma. It produces a magnetic field. Earth is dependent on the sun for life. It is our most important form of energy. It is hard to define the shape of the sun but scientists have tried. The diameter of the sun is 864,000 miles, meaning it is 109 times larger than our planet. Its mass also outdoes earth by 330,000 times. Over ninety-nine percent of the mass of the solar system can be contributed to the sun. It is the largest item in our solar system. The sun is primarily comprised of hydrogen, helium, iron, carbon, neon and oxygen. The spectral class of the sun makes it a G-type sequence star. Actually, the light of the sun is more white than it is yellow, although the sun often times seems yellow or orange in color.

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The sun’s core is what creates its energy and thus the energy receives from it here on earth. When hydrogen converts to helium, energy is formed by the sun. The gravitational force is what keeps the sun from bursting. We receive light and energy from the sun within just eight minutes. We can thank the sun for our heat on the earth. The sun’s energy does so much for plants. Plants go through photosynthesis because of the heat from the sun. The sun is responsible for the earth’s orbit. Earth’s orbit is what allows us to experience four different seasons.

How can we harness the amazing power of this star? Solar energy involves collecting energy from the sun and using it here on earth. We are able to utilize the sun’s power for our own power here on earth. Solar panels can be found on a spacecraft or on rooftops, just like the Colorado Springs solar panels. These solar panels are constructed with cells that soak up energy from the sun. When the sunlight is consumed by the cells, electricity is able to be generated. Solar thermal power plants have been created to be places where a large amount of solar energy are converted into electricity for our use on earth. These plants use the sun’s energy to power water turbines.

You may be wondering how do people earth convert the sun’s energy into a power source on earth? The process can be easily understood. The most common technique of collecting solar energy is done through the usage of a long trough that has mirrors that force sunlight onto a pipe. Hot oil lays on the pipe. The heat from the sun causes the hot oil to boil. The boiling of the oil generates electricity. A second technique would force the sun’s rays onto a moveable mirror that is connected to a tower. A receiver lays on the tower. The receiver is filled with salt. The heat from the sun on the salt creates electricity.

One of the downsides to solar energy is how it does not work at night. Even with some of the greatest technologies, scientists and experts have failed to generate energy from the sun at night. Solar technologies are also pretty costly. They do require a lot of land to be placed on to work properly.

Solar energy has many perks for us here on earth. Because of the perks, the use of solar energy has increased by twenty percent. The United States, Japan, and Germany are three main countries that are seriously using solar energy to create electricity, power water turbines, air conditioning, and finding better ways to power earth without harming the planet. There are so many benefits of the sun powering earth. Using the sun’s rays to power earth cuts down on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Solar energy is a renewable form of energy. Energy reliability is offered by solar energy.