Jakarta, Borneo24.com – The sun is the star at the center of the solar system. Like other stars, the Sun is a ball of incandescent gas but has a high temperature. The temperature can even reach 6,000 degrees Celsius. Its surface is a sea of very hot gas.
The sun is one of the more than 100 billion stars in the Milky Way. The sun orbits about 25,000 light-years from the galactic core, completing one revolution every 250 million years or so.
The sun is located at the heart of the solar system and is the largest object. When viewed from Earth, the Sun will appear very small, when in fact the size of the Sun is very large. The Sun holds 99.8 percent of the mass of the solar system and is approximately 109 times the diameter of the Earth or about one million Earths equal to one Sun.
The distance from Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles. It takes 8 minutes 19 seconds for sunlight to pass through space and illuminate the planet we inhabit. According to NASA, if it were possible to fly a plane all the way to the Sun, the journey would take 26 years.
We have always been taught that the center of the solar system is the sun. So why was the sun chosen to be the center of our solar system? Why not a planet or other celestial body at the center?
Then why is the sun at the center of the solar system? Before knowing the reason, consider a brief description of the Heliocentric theory which is the basis of the sun as the center of the solar system.
The person who first said that the Sun is the center of the solar system was Aristarchus of Samos. He argued that the Sun’s claim to be the center of the solar system was not without reason.
Summarized from various sources, our solar system consists of many stars, one of which is the Sun. The sun is the star that has the largest mass and gravity compared to other stars. So that the Sun can make the planets and other celestial bodies move around their orbits.
Heliocentric Theory
Heliocentric theory states that the sun is the center of the solar system. The earth moves around the sun in a circular orbit.
For orbital problems, the data obtained by Copernicus showed indications of deviations in the angular velocities of the orbits of the planets. However, Copernicus still maintains the circular shape of the orbit by stating that the orbits are not concentric (have the same center).
Heliocentric theory was presented by Copernicus in his publication entitled Copernicus to Pope II and accepted by the church.
Later, after Copernicus’ death, the church’s views changed. Heliocentric theory is considered dangerous, because it contradicts the view of the church which considers humans to be the center of the universe.
After 1960, hypotheses began to emerge to strengthen the statement that the sun is indeed the center of the solar system in this universe.
Why is the Sun the Center of the Solar System? Tell!
The sun is the center of the solar system because of its gravitational force. The sun is a star that has a very large mass.
The mass of the sun is so large that it makes the sun has a great gravitational attraction too. The gravity of the sun is believed to be 28 times stronger than the gravity of the earth.
Because the sun’s gravitational force is so great, the sun is able to unite the planets, asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites and other celestial bodies into a single unit.
Although not the biggest star, the sun is the biggest star for humans on earth, because it is the closest to the earth.
The light and heat of the sun is precisely what causes life on earth. Directly or indirectly, light and heat from the sun provide energy to all living things that live on earth.
The sun is estimated to have existed since about 4.6 billion years ago. Many scientists predict the Sun formed from a giant rotating cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula.
When a nebula collapses under its gravity, it spins faster and becomes a disk. Most of the elements are drawn to the center to form the Sun. What makes the Sun can survive as it is today until it is 5 billion years old because it has enough nuclear fuel in it.
The sun, which is now about 4.6 billion years old, is almost halfway through its life. Stars like the Sun are estimated to shine for 10 to 20 billion years.
The sun that enters the old phase will then become a red giant star. The outer layer expands and spills. The diameter of the Sun will increase and is estimated to reach the distance of Earth’s orbit.
This is why when the Sun becomes a red giant, it is said to swallow the Earth. Because when the Sun swells to its maximum diameter, it can engulf the terrestrial planets like Mercury, Venus, and Earth, or at least push the remnants of these planets out of orbit. At that point the Sun will stretch 150 times its current size. (***)
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