The sun is the star at the center of our solar system. It's the largest, brightest and most massive object in the solar system, and it provides the light and heat that life on Earth depends on.

"We can now trace the origins of water in our solar system to before the formation of the sun." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

How big it is: 865,000 miles (1.392 million kilometers) across How far away it is: 93 million miles (150 million km) What type of star it is: A yellow dwarf star The sun is the star at the center of ...