Star · G2V main-sequence star (yellow dwarf)

The Sun

Solar System

Scientific overview

The Sun is a g2v main-sequence star (yellow dwarf).

Physical characteristics

Mass	1,989,000 ×10²⁴ kg
Diameter	1,391,400 km
Radius	696,340 km
Mean temperature	5505 °C

Exploration

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

Quick facts

Type: G2V main-sequence star (yellow dwarf)

Provenance & sources

review 2026.1

Asteria Scientific Review Process · verification: sourced · accurate

High evidenceconfirmed
The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star (G2V) at the centre of the Solar System, containing about 99.86% of the system's mass; sunlight takes roughly 8.3 minutes to reach Earth.
Source: NASA (NSSDCA) — NASA Planetary Fact Sheet · Public domain (US Government work)
- NASA Planetary Fact Sheet, Planetary Fact Sheet

Reviewed by the internal Asteria Scientific Review Process — not an external institutional review. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Scientific citations

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

Institutional pageNOAA Solar Calculator

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (n.d.). NOAA Solar Calculator. NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory. https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/

@misc{cite:noaa-solar-calculator,
  title        = {NOAA Solar Calculator},
  organization = {NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/},
  note         = {Public-domain solar-position algorithm — declination, equation of time, sunrise/sunset, and twilight — the method implemented by the computed Sun & Twilight times.}
}

Institutional pageSun — NASA Solar System Exploration

NASA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA (n.d.). Sun — NASA Solar System Exploration. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/

@misc{cite:nasa-star-sun,
  title        = {Sun — NASA Solar System Exploration},
  organization = {NASA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/},
  note         = {NASA overview of Sun.}
}

Institutional pageThe Sun — NASA Science

NASA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA (n.d.). The Sun — NASA Science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/

@misc{cite:nasa-sun,
  title        = {The Sun — NASA Science},
  organization = {NASA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/sun/},
  note         = {NASA overview of the Sun: our star, its structure, and its role in day, night, and the seasons.}
}

Institutional pageUSNO Astronomical Applications Department

United States Naval Observatory

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

United States Naval Observatory (n.d.). USNO Astronomical Applications Department. United States Naval Observatory. https://aa.usno.navy.mil/

@misc{cite:usno-astronomical-applications,
  title        = {USNO Astronomical Applications Department},
  organization = {United States Naval Observatory},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://aa.usno.navy.mil/},
  note         = {Solar and lunar coordinates, phase, and rise/set/twilight/transit methodology (the Astronomical Almanac); the public-domain formulae behind the computed Moon phase, the computed Sun & twilight times, and the computed moonrise/moonset and lunar position.}
}

Quality & authority

56%

Reviewed

Completeness: Complete
Source coverage: Partial
Citation coverage: Complete
Relationship coverage: Complete
Review coverage: Complete
Image coverage: None

Data from the NASA Planetary Fact Sheet & JPL (public domain). See source quality.

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Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (n.d.). NOAA Solar Calculator. NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory. https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/ @misc{cite:noaa-solar-calculator, title = {NOAA Solar Calculator}, organization = {NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/}, note = {Public-domain solar-position algorithm — declination, equation of time, sunrise/sunset, and twilight — the method implemented by the computed Sun & Twilight times.} }

NASA (n.d.). Sun — NASA Solar System Exploration. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/ @misc{cite:nasa-star-sun, title = {Sun — NASA Solar System Exploration}, organization = {NASA}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://science.nasa.gov/}, note = {NASA overview of Sun.} }

NASA (n.d.). The Sun — NASA Science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/ @misc{cite:nasa-sun, title = {The Sun — NASA Science}, organization = {NASA}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://science.nasa.gov/sun/}, note = {NASA overview of the Sun: our star, its structure, and its role in day, night, and the seasons.} }

United States Naval Observatory (n.d.). USNO Astronomical Applications Department. United States Naval Observatory. https://aa.usno.navy.mil/ @misc{cite:usno-astronomical-applications, title = {USNO Astronomical Applications Department}, organization = {United States Naval Observatory}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://aa.usno.navy.mil/}, note = {Solar and lunar coordinates, phase, and rise/set/twilight/transit methodology (the Astronomical Almanac); the public-domain formulae behind the computed Moon phase, the computed Sun & twilight times, and the computed moonrise/moonset and lunar position.} }