The Sun
The Sun is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Sunspots Activity
Hilight: a very large active region denominated AR 4079 has appeared and will be very interesting to observe as it transits the Sun until about May 10. Its size is impressive, it's roughly the size of Jupiter and can be spotted with just eclipse glasses. Important: don't look at the Sun without protections like certified eclipse glasses or astronomical filters designed for solar observations. Not doing so can cause permanent eye damage.
Image of the Sun's surface showing the current sunspot activity:
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
Also check out Where is The Sun?, a page that provides all the information needed to find The Sun in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise,
transit and set times of
The Sun from
Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Azimuth: 71.3°
Max altitude: 57.3°
Azimuth: 288.8°
- Sun is
above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 11.19° above the horizon.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple
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Distance from Earth
- Sun is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 11.19° above the horizon.
- Go to interactive sky chart
The distance of The Sun from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of The Sun from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Sun from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of The Sun to Earth happens on Tue Dec 27 1605 at a distance of 0.983059 Astronomical Units, or 147,063,549 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of The Sun, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of The Sun. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 1391684 km | 109.2202 |
| Mass | 1989000 x 1024 kg | 333,043.6574 |
| Density | 1.41 gr/cm3 | 0.2557 |
| Escape Velocity | 618.02 km/s | 55.2297 |
| Sideral Rotation | 587.2800 hours | 24.5370 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -26.8 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of The Sun computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Apparent DiameterDiameter | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 07 | 02h 56m 55s | +16° 49’ 25” | -26.72 | 1,901.8” | Aries |
| 2025 May 08 | 03h 00m 48s | +17° 05’ 49” | -26.72 | 1,901.4” | Aries |
| 2025 May 09 | 03h 04m 42s | +17° 21’ 57” | -26.72 | 1,901.0” | Aries |
| 2025 May 10 | 03h 08m 36s | +17° 37’ 47” | -26.72 | 1,900.5” | Aries |
| 2025 May 11 | 03h 12m 30s | +17° 53’ 18” | -26.72 | 1,900.1” | Aries |
| 2025 May 12 | 03h 16m 25s | +18° 08’ 32” | -26.72 | 1,899.7” | Aries |
| 2025 May 13 | 03h 20m 22s | +18° 23’ 27” | -26.72 | 1,899.2” | Aries |
| 2025 May 14 | 03h 24m 18s | +18° 38’ 05” | -26.72 | 1,898.8” | Aries |
| 2025 May 15 | 03h 28m 14s | +18° 52’ 23” | -26.72 | 1,898.4” | Taurus |
| 2025 May 16 | 03h 32m 11s | +19° 06’ 22” | -26.72 | 1,898.0” | Taurus |
| 2025 May 17 | 03h 36m 10s | +19° 20’ 02” | -26.72 | 1,897.6” | Taurus |
| 2025 May 18 | 03h 40m 09s | +19° 33’ 23” | -26.72 | 1,897.2” | Taurus |
| 2025 May 19 | 03h 44m 07s | +19° 46’ 22” | -26.72 | 1,896.8” | Taurus |
| 2025 May 20 | 03h 48m 07s | +19° 59’ 03” | -26.72 | 1,896.4” | Taurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- The Sun: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Sunspots Activity: Recent image of the Sun's photosphere.
- Solar Eclipses: Extensive information about future and past solar eclipses.
- Where is The Sun?: Key information on locating The Sun in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far The Sun is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is The Sun?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: The Sun's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of The Sun's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days The Sun's computed ephemeris.
- Physical Data. Detailed information about physical properties of The Sun, such as mass and geometric properties.