Facts about the sun

The sun is the only gigantic ball of superheated gas in our neighbourhood. It’s a massive nuclear reactor 12 000 times the size of the earth. At its core, it’s hot – around 20 million degrees Celsius.

Astronomers estimate that the sun will eventually expand to 166 times its present size and become more than 2 000 times as bright. Eight billion years from now, the sun's radius will engulf the planet Mercury, causing the total destruction of the earth.

But before then, you need to know how to protect yourself from its powerful rays.