Bonzer Words!: The Sun – Giver of Life, Ruler Of The World
...For the human inhabitants of earth, the amazing thing is that the distance of the earth from the Sun is exactly right to provide the conditions needed for life to flourish. Closer and we would fry, further away and we would freeze...
Wendy Ogbourne brings information on the great generator of light and life, the Sun.
Since earliest recorded history humans have worshipped the sun. To them it was the giver of life and therefore became their god.
The first civilisation known, the Sumerians, had many gods, including the sun. To the Egyptians he was the supreme god, Ra, and the pharaoh was his representative on earth. The Greeks called him Helios, who drove a fiery chariot across the heavens, the Romans Apollo, one of their major deities. To the Polynesians he was Maui, and the ancient peoples of South America, the Incas, Aztec and Mayas all worshipped the sun and made human sacrifices to him. The Druids in Britain built Stonehenge in 3000BC in his honour.
We may scoff at their naivety, but science has since proved that though our Sun is only one of approximately 100 billion suns in the Milky Way alone, it is indeed the giver of life to everything on our world.
Here are a few facts about the Sun. It is four to five billion years old, about half way through its life cycle. Its diameter is 1,390,000 km, about 100 times that of earth. You could fit one million earths inside it. Its temperature at the surface is 6000°C and at its centre 15,000,000°C. The distance from earth to the Sun is 150 million kms. It takes light and other radiation about eight minutes to travel from the Sun to earth.
The Sun, like all other stars, is a huge nuclear power plant. However, unlike those on earth, which split uranium atoms by fission, under the intense temperature and pressure at the centre of the sun, hydrogen atoms join by nuclear fusion to form helium atoms. In the process, vast amounts of energy are released across the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy then radiates out from the surface of the sun in all directions, giving light and heat to all the planets in the solar system. Without the sun, not only would the planets not have formed, but without its power, no life could have evolved or continue to exist.
For the human inhabitants of earth, the amazing thing is that the distance of the earth from the Sun is exactly right to provide the conditions needed for life to flourish. Closer and we would fry, further away and we would freeze. But we would still be unable to survive without the protection of the earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere reduces the extremes of temperature that we would otherwise feel between day and night. It insulates us. The ozone layer, 90 km above the earth, absorbs harmful short ultraviolet rays. The Ionosphere, 350 km above the earth, reflects the longer radio and infra-red rays. When we see an Aurora, it is a sign that these waves are bombarding the earth, and our atmosphere is protecting us. Maintaining the balance is crucial to our existence.
One way that we can actually see the energy radiating from the Sun is during an eclipse. Though you should never look directly at the Sun, you can either view it through special dark glass, or project the image onto a screen. In a total eclipse, the magnetic loops or solar flares can be seen clearly. It's a totally awe-inspiring sight, and no wonder our ancestors were terrified.
It is now known that sun-spots are the source of magnetic activity which causes these huge emissions of energy. Sun-spots can be up to 50,000 miles across. At times of heightened sun-spot activity, a much greater amount of radiation is received on earth. This increased activity has an average 11-year cycle, the last being in 2004. Now that society is so reliant on technology and sophisticated instruments, this can cause major problems, with radio and magnetic interference. For satellites orbiting outside the earth's atmosphere, there is nothing to protect them from solar flares, and some have returned to earth earlier than planned, due to their pre-programmed orbits being disrupted.
Discussion rages at present as to the cause of global warming. Are humans to blame for their profligate use of fossil fuels, or is it just a natural cycle due to increased solar activity? The answers remain unclear and the issue remains controversial. However, there is no doubt that the sun has the power of life and death over us.
We no longer need to worship the sun, but it still rules our lives and will continue to do so for another 5 billion years.
**
Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au
