Throwing Light on a Few Myths About the Sun
Even in this modern age, myths about the sun still exist. Here are a few to consider.
As one of the most ubiquitous objects in the lives of nearly everyone who has ever lived, it's no surprise that myths about the sun have always been common. In the past, some cultures have even worshipped it as the source of all things -- which it is, when you get right down to it. Without the sun, we wouldn't be here.
It's not within our purview to examine the various religious beliefs about the sun, but there are quite a few modern misconceptions about our daystar that should be put to rest. In this article, we'll discuss a few.
Myth 1: The sun is just an average, everyday star.
No one really believes that the sun is the center of the universe anymore, but some of us have gone completely in the other direction with this myth about the sun. It's true that our sun is mid-range in size and age, but it's not just any star. It has a few significant characteristics that distinguish it from most of its neighbors.
Of the 50 closest stars, ours ranks #4 in terms of brightness. It's also near the top of the list for mass, size, and energy production. As it happens, almost all stars are tiny red M-Class dwarfs. While they do tend to last forever, our sun is much brighter, hotter, and bigger than they are.
Myth 2: Summer is when the Earth is closest to the sun.
This myth about the sun seems logical, but it's only half right -- and it isn't true at all if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Oddly enough, summer comes for North America, Europe, and Asia when the Earth is farthest away from the sun in its orbit. Why? Because the Earth is tilted at a 23.5ยบ angle on its axis of rotation.
When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, our part of the world gets more light, and the days are longer. This translates into greater warmth. As the sun moves around to the other side of its orbit, we get less light, and the days grow shorter and cooler -- even though we're closer to the sun.
Myth 3: The sun doesn't rotate.
Actually, it does. This was something Galileo himself discovered (with great difficulty) in the 1600s. Every natural object in the universe rotates, even the galaxy. Our star doesn't rotate very fast, taking some 25-27days to turn on its axis -- but it does rotate, and that's enough to put paid to this myth about the sun.
Myth 4: The solar wind can push satellites out of orbit.
While the sun does produce something called the solar wind, which is comprised of all the trillions upon trillions of energetic particles that radiate from it every single day, it's not as strong as all that. This far away from the sun, outer space is a vacuum far harder than anything scientists have been able to create in any lab.
Solar wind and solar flares can, however, cause the Earth's upper atmosphere to become more agitated, making it hot and dense enough for satellites in very low orbit to encounter more friction. Over time, this can slow a satellite enough that it can fall out of orbit. That's where this particular one of many myths about the sun comes from.
