Book 1, Question 76 · Video
What If You Got Too Close to the Sun?
The Sun is a giant hot ball of gas, and heat and radiation rise fast the closer you get. That is why spacecraft stay far away and use shields. The page says the Sun's surface is ab
Read the full answer →What Crafty Clover says in this video
Intro
Hi! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. What if you got too close to the Sun?
The Big Idea
The Sun keeps us warm and bright from far away. But what if you flew closer and closer? Here's the big idea: the Sun is so hot that getting too close would be dangerous. Distance keeps us safe!
Ball of Gas
Step one: the Sun is a giant, hot ball of gas. It isn't solid like Earth. It's mostly hydrogen and helium gas, glowing super hot. The Sun is a star, the closest star to us!
Heat Rises
Step two: heat and radiation rise fast. The closer you get to the Sun, the stronger its heat and light become. Get too close, and it would be far too hot for anything to survive!
Shields
Step three: spacecraft stay far away, with shields. Scientists send special spacecraft to study the Sun, with thick heat shields, like a giant sun umbrella. The Parker Solar Probe has flown closer than any spacecraft ever, but still stays millions of kilometers away!
A Closer Look
Let's see how the Sun warms us! Here's the Sun, way out in space. Its light and warmth travel about one hundred fifty million kilometers to reach us, in about eight minutes! And here's Earth, at just the right distance: warm, but not too hot!
Quick Facts
Quick facts! The Sun's surface is about fifty-five hundred degrees Celsius! That's more than fifty times hotter than boiling water! Its center is even hotter, about fifteen million degrees! And it's so big that about a million Earths could fit inside!
Think Like a Scientist
Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up, hold your hand close to a lamp, then far away. Don't touch the bulb! Close: how does it feel? Warmer! Far: how does it feel? Cooler! And never stare at the Sun, not even with sunglasses! Observe, ask questions, and think like a scientist!
Outro
If you got too close to the Sun, it would be way too hot! Luckily, it warms us from a safe distance. Keep asking, keep exploring! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!