Book contents
- Fundamentals of Astrophysics
- Reviews
- Fundamentals of Astrophysics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Preface to the First Edition
- Part I Stellar Properties
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Astronomical Distances
- 3 Stellar Luminosity
- 4 Surface Temperature from a Star’s Color
- 5 Stellar Radius from Luminosity and Temperature
- 6 Light Intensity and Absorption
- 7 Surface Gravity and Escape/Orbital Speed
- 8 Stellar Ages and Lifetimes
- 9 Stellar Space Velocities
- 10 Using Binary Systems to Determine Masses and Radii
- 11 Stellar Rotation
- 12 Light Intensity and Absorption
- 13 Observational Methods
- 14 Our Sun
- Part II Stellar Structure and Evolution
- Part III Interstellar Medium and Formation of Stars and Planets
- Part IV Our Milky Way and Other Galaxies
- Part V Cosmology
- Book part
- Index
14 - Our Sun
from Part I - Stellar Properties
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2025
Book contents
- Fundamentals of Astrophysics
- Reviews
- Fundamentals of Astrophysics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Preface to the First Edition
- Part I Stellar Properties
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Astronomical Distances
- 3 Stellar Luminosity
- 4 Surface Temperature from a Star’s Color
- 5 Stellar Radius from Luminosity and Temperature
- 6 Light Intensity and Absorption
- 7 Surface Gravity and Escape/Orbital Speed
- 8 Stellar Ages and Lifetimes
- 9 Stellar Space Velocities
- 10 Using Binary Systems to Determine Masses and Radii
- 11 Stellar Rotation
- 12 Light Intensity and Absorption
- 13 Observational Methods
- 14 Our Sun
- Part II Stellar Structure and Evolution
- Part III Interstellar Medium and Formation of Stars and Planets
- Part IV Our Milky Way and Other Galaxies
- Part V Cosmology
- Book part
- Index
Summary
The close proximity of the Sun, and its extreme apparent brightness, makes it by far the most important star for lives here on Earth. In modern times we have access to powerful telescopes, both on the ground and in space, that observe and monitor the Sun over a wide range of wavelength bands. These vividly demonstrate that the Sun is in fact highly structured and variable over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales.
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- Fundamentals of Astrophysics , pp. 90 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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