The Sun
The Sun is in the constellation of
Virgo,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system and is by far the largest object in it. It has a diameter of about 1.39 million kilometers and a mass of approximately 1.99 x 10^30 kilograms, accounting for about 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system. The Sun is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, with internal convective motion that generates its magnetic field. The temperature at the Sun's core is about 15 million degrees Celsius, where nuclear fusion occurs, releasing energy in the form of electromagnetic waves and heat. This energy is radiated outwards, and it takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for it to reach Earth, which is about 149.6 million kilometers away. The Sun rotates on its axis, completing one rotation in about 25.4 Earth days near the equator and about 34 Earth days near the poles. The Sun is classified as a G-type main-sequence star, with a lifespan of about 10 billion years, and it has a complex system of magnetic activity that produces sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections that can affect Earth's space environment. The Sun has been studied extensively by a variety of telescopes and spacecraft, including the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Parker Solar Probe.
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: 98.0°
Max altitude: 30.5°
Azimuth: 261.9°
- Sun is
above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 21.25° above the horizon.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple
customized Quick Access page,
so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Sunspots Activity
Here is a recent image of the Sun's surface showing the current sunspot activity:
Finder Charts
Sky map showing The Sun in Virgo on October, 13 2024.
Field of view: 10x6 degrees. View in interactive sky chart
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where The Sun is right now.
Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
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.
Distance from Earth
- Sun is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 21.25° above the horizon.
- Go to interactive sky chart
Sunspots Activity
Here is a recent image of the Sun's surface showing the current sunspot activity:
Finder Charts
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Oct 06 | 12h 48m 42s | -05° 13’ 40” | -26.74 | 1,919.2” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 07 | 12h 52m 21s | -05° 36’ 39” | -26.74 | 1,919.8” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 08 | 12h 56m 01s | -05° 59’ 32” | -26.74 | 1,920.4” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 09 | 12h 59m 40s | -06° 22’ 21” | -26.74 | 1,920.9” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 10 | 13h 03m 22s | -06° 45’ 05” | -26.75 | 1,921.5” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 11 | 13h 07m 03s | -07° 07’ 44” | -26.75 | 1,922.1” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 12 | 13h 10m 44s | -07° 30’ 16” | -26.75 | 1,922.6” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 13 | 13h 14m 26s | -07° 52’ 42” | -26.75 | 1,923.2” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 14 | 13h 18m 08s | -08° 15’ 01” | -26.75 | 1,923.8” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 15 | 13h 21m 51s | -08° 37’ 15” | -26.75 | 1,924.3” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 16 | 13h 25m 34s | -08° 59’ 20” | -26.75 | 1,924.9” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 17 | 13h 29m 19s | -09° 21’ 17” | -26.75 | 1,925.4” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 18 | 13h 33m 03s | -09° 43’ 06” | -26.75 | 1,926.0” | Virgo |
| 2024 Oct 19 | 13h 36m 48s | -10° 04’ 47” | -26.75 | 1,926.5” | Virgo |
Additional Resources
- Today's Sunspots Activity
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is The Sun?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is The Sun from Earth?)
- When does The Sun rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is The Sun?)
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of The Sun, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of The Sun for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate The Sun in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate The Sun with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.