If you are tired of ice, snow and extreme cold, then this is the place for you! Special suits insulated against extreme heat await you on the space shuttle that brings you to the center of this awesome solar system.

First of all, the Sun is NOT a planet. It is just one of millions of stars in our Galaxy. It is believed to have been created thousands of years ago when many other large stars exploded, scattering dust and gases throughout space. Through gravity a core of particles was formed which attracted more and more particles until the Sun reached the size of 1,390,000 kilometers, or 861,800 miles wide. If you were to put all other members of the system (planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, meteorites) together into one mass, the Sun would outweigh it almost 500 times!

Solar systems, which have planets revolving around a star, are referred to as heliocentric systems. In this solar system, the planets revolve around the Sun, and satellites or moons revolve around the planets. While visiting the Sun, you may not notice, but the Sun is also moving. It is revolving around the center of the Galaxy.

Conditions at the Sun's core are pretty extreme. The core temperature is 15.6 million Kelvin while the temperature at its surface is 5,800 Kelvin (about 9,920 degrees F), but there are some cool spots that are only 3,800 Kelvin (about 6,350 degrees F). Now you understand why those super suits will be available on the shuttle for your use during your visit! To better understand Kelvin measurement, go to The Kelvin Scale of Temperature. In the center, hydrogen atoms collide and combine with each other to form helium. One source says that each second 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted to 695 million tons of helium. In this process, 5 million tons of energy are produced in the form of gamma rays.

Eventually (as in thousands of years), the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel. When it does there will be radical changes to this solar system and its inhabitants. Without the energy and heat from the Sun, the planets and their satellites will cease to exist, killing off all forms of life in the process.

Check out other HOT sites about the Sun:

More links to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Solar System: