solen

Solen is the name for the Sun in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish when used with the definite article the solen. In these languages it designates the star at the center of the Solar System.

The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star (G2V) that formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a molecular cloud. It accounts for about 99.8 percent of the mass of the Solar System. Its mass is approximately 1.989 × 10^30 kilograms, radius about 696,340 kilometers, and a surface (photospheric) temperature near 5,778 kelvin. Its luminosity is about 3.828 × 10^26 watts, and its average distance to Earth is 1 astronomical unit (AU) or about 149.6 million kilometers.

The Sun generates energy by nuclear fusion in its core through the proton–proton chain, converting hydrogen to helium. Energy radiates outward through the radiative and convective zones, reaching the photosphere and heating the solar atmosphere, which includes the chromosphere and corona. The Sun’s magnetic field fuels solar activity, including sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, which follow an approximately 11-year cycle and drive space weather that can affect satellites, communications, and power systems on Earth.

The Sun’s gravity binds the planets and other bodies of the Solar System. Light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. It remains the primary source of light and heat for our planet and is the subject of ongoing scientific observation through space missions and ground-based telescopes.