The Sun is the nearest star to the Earth. The surface temperature of the Sun is about 6000°C. At this temperature, a metal or even a rock can get converted into gas. Hence, the Sun is referred to as a burning ball of gases. The reason behind this non-stop burning is the capability of the Sun to convert matter into energy. It uses very little matter and produces a large amount of energy. Data suggest that only 28 gm of matter can produce energy which is sufficient to melt a million tonnes of rock. Hence, only 1% of the Sun’s mass can produce energy that could keep the Sun hot for a period of 150 thousand million years.
What Keeps the Sun Shining Hot?
