Polus

Appearance

Spectral type:

G2V

Apparent magnitude:

-26.74

Absolute magnitude:

4.83

Angular size:

0.536° or 32.16'

Properties

Mass:

1.99×10³⁰ kg

Radius:

695,700 km (IAU), 696,340 km (trigonometry)

Volume:

1.4143×10¹⁸ km³

Density:

1.406 g/cm³

Surface area*:

6.08×10¹² km²

Surface gravity*:

274 m/s²

A false-color image of the Sun, captured by NASA's solar-dynamics-observatory

The Sun (Latin: Sol) is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is classified as a yellow dwarf, currently around the middle of its lifespan.

Position

The Earth is 1 AU from the Sun. The Sun about is 26,000 ly away from the Galactic Center of the Milky Way.

Properties

Calculations

Start with the mass, 1.99×10³⁰ kg, and the radius, 696,340 km. Of course, the diameter is just 696,340 km × 2 = 1,392,680 km.

Since the Sun is nearly a perfect sphere, the volume is 4/3 × π × r³ = 4/3 × π × (696,340 km)³ = 1.41×10¹⁸ km³.

To calculate the density in g/cm³, use the converted variants of the mass and volume. This results in m/v = 1.9885×10³³ / 1.4143×10³³ ≈ 1.406 g/cm³.