The Sun's atmosphere has three layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona.

Solar flares occur when a buildup of magnetic energy on the sun is suddenly released. They usually erupt from sunspots, temporary dark and relatively cool patches where the local magnetic field is very strong.

The solar wind blows from the Sun at a gentle 10 km/s or so and then accelerates up to around 800 km/s further out in space. That's a top speed of nearly 3 million kilometers per hour.

On 29 October 2018 at about 1:04 p.m. EDT, the Parker Solar Probe became the closest ever man-made object to the Sun. The previous record, 26.55 million miles from the Sun's surface, was set by the Helios 2 spacecraft in April 1976.

By the Fifth Dynasty in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, Ra had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion and was believed to rule all parts of the created world: the sky, the Earth, and the underworld.

Depending on the geometry of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there can be between 2 and 5 solar eclipses each year. A total solar eclipse can happen once every 1-2 years.

Galileo was the first to notice sunspots but hid the discovery for fear of being persecuted.

According to NASA, estimates show that the emission of light at the surface of the sun can lag the production of light at the core by up to 1 million years.

The strength of the sun's magnetic field is typically only about twice as strong as Earth's field. However, it becomes highly concentrated in small areas, reaching up to 3,000 times its usual strength.

The Sun consumes about 600 million tons of hydrogen per second.