Sun is a star, that is the closest to the Earth. Some might say,
that Sun is a planet, but that is not true. A life on the Earth
would not be posible if it was not for the Sun, which sends us
necesary light and wormth for plants, people and animals.
The distance form Earth to Sun
has been estimated to be about 150,000,000 km. Sun is about 1,300,000
times bigger than Earth and it is not a solid body. It also does
not rotate like one. At Sun's equator the rotation period is about
24 days, but that becomes almost 35 days on both poles. Sun is
a gaseous hemisphere. It's surface temperature is about 6000K.
Acording to estimations, made by scientist, the temperature increases
up to 15,000,000K in the Sun's centre. Every square cm of the
Sun produces a light equal to 50,000 candels.
We know interesting features on
the Sun called sunspots. They have been first observed by Galileo
Galilei in 1609. Spots differ in size - one was once 150,000km
long and 100,000km wide. They are usually placed in groups, they
have an umbra, and a lighter penumbra around it. It is thought,
that sunspots are electricuted and that their electrical energy
is sent into space in the form of electrons, which in smaller
quantities, come into our atmosphere. The effects are different.
One of them is Aurora borealis and Aurora australis. They can
also disturbe radio contacts and can effect the weather.
An eclipse is a natural phenomena,
when a dark body is placed between a light-emitting body and an
observer. One can observe a solar eclipse, if the Moon is placed
between him and the Sun. Moon preventS Sun's light to reach an
observer. Solar eclipse can occur only when the Moon is on the
daily side of the Earth and we cannot see it. But a Solar eclipse
does not occur every month., since Moon's path is tilted according
to Earth's path. So Moon can be under or below it. We know three
different kinds of Solar eclipse: full eclipse, partial eclipse
and ring-shaped eclipse. The first happends, if Sun is completely
covered by Moon, the second one, if that happends only partly
and the third one if one can witness a bright ring around Moon.
That happens, if the appearant diameter of Moon is smaller than
the diameter of Sun. Until the year 2000, three total eclipses
of Sun will appear beside several partial eclipses. On the 9th
of March 1997, Moon will cover Sun in some places in Mongolia,
Sibiria and Antarctica. On the 26th of February 1998 this will
happend over Pacific, Galapagos Island and Caribian Islands and
Central America. And finally on the 11th of August 1999, total
Solar celipse will be visible throughout Europe. Europeans have
not been able to see such an event since 1961. This time, Sun's
shadow will travel over British Islands, France, Germany, Hungary,
Romania and all the way to Turky. In Murska Sobota, Sun will be
covered more than 99% and a bit more to the north-east 100%.