Why Does the Sun Shine?

Why Does the Sun Shine?
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By Lou Singer and Hy Zaret (1959)

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

The sun is hot, the sun is not
A place where we could live
But here on Earth there'd be no life
Without the light it gives

We need its light, we need its heat
The sun light that we seek
The sun light comes from our own sun's
Atomic energy

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

The sun is hot...

The sun is so hot that everything on it is a gas
Aluminum, Copper, Iron, and many others

The sun is large...

If the sun were hollow, a million Earth's would fit inside
And yet, it is only a middle size star

The sun is far away...

About 93,000,000 miles away
And that's why it looks so small

But even when it's out of sight
The sun shines night and day

We need its heat, we need its light
The sun light that we seek
The sun light comes from our own sun's
Atomic energy

Scientists have found that the sun is a huge atom smashing machine
The heat and light of the sun are caused by nuclear reactions between
Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, and Helium

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

the sun
For Parents

For information about sun safety, download the SunWise Activity Book the Sunwise Storybook and all the other Sunwise School publications created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote sun-safe behavior at any age.

For Teachers

EPA Region 9 Environmental Education Programs
A competitive grants program, environmental education publications for classroom use, and a youth awards program.

Franklin Institute Resources for Science Learning
The Franklin Institute offers tools for educators and program support resources. Plan your trip to The Franklin Institute and see how it can support student learning.