Siya: Hey Elvis, what are you doing?
Elvis: I have cleaned my garden and now burning the debris in the garden.
Siya: Using a magnifying glass??
Elvis: Yes. I have concentrated Sun’s rays using a magnifying glass. The
heat created is strong enough to burn a paper of dry leaves like what I did now.
Siya: Wow, Sun’s energy is so powerful!
Elvis: Yes, Sun is a constant source of energy and all the planets in our solar system and
all the living beings are surviving because of it.
Siya: Please Elvis, I want to know more about it.
Elvis: Sure.. The Sun is a huge ball of hot, glowing gases.
It is the only star in our Solar system.
The hottest part of the Sun is its centre or core.
The gases burn and boil all the time.
The light from the gases is so bright, that if we look directly at the Sun, we will hurt our eyes.
Since, ancient times, people have been using the Sun, to locate places and to find their way back, if they get lost.
The rays of the Sun provide the energy for every living thing on Earth.
Plants use the Sun’s energy to prepare food for themselves.
In the process of making food, they release oxygen which, animals and we breathe.
Man uses the energy from the Sun, that is Solar energy to run various appliances.
The word Solar is derived from the Latin word, ‘Sol’, which mean sun’.
Solar energy refers to anything that uses or operates with the Sun’s energy.
The Sun’s gravity heats all the celestial objects in their respective orbits revolving
around it. Its gravity is 28 times stronger than the
Earth’s. We don’t feel it because the Earth is in
constant orbit around the Sun. The Sun is made up of gases.
Hydrogen makes up most of the Sun, but it also contains Helium, and small amounts of
other gases. Nuclear fusion goes on inside the Sun all
the time and this process releases energy, which we receive on Earth.
This is Solar Energy, which is unlimited.
It will not get over at least thousands of generations.
We all know that looking at the Sun directly,
with naked eyes or with binoculars is harmful and can blind us permanently.
Several spacecrafts dedicated to observing the Sun, have been launched.
SOHO, S O H O (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) was launched on Deceber 2, 1995.
It was stationed at a distance of 1.5 million km from Earth from where it got an uninterrupted
view of the Sun.
Siya: Wow, Elvis. This information was really very interesting.
Elvis: Yes, I know, but there is lot more to know about the Sun, which I will tell you
later!! Siya: Thanks Elvis. I will definitely come
back to you for more such information.