Scientists took this photo of the sun. Is it really smiling?
Every day, scientists called astronomers study dazzling objects in outer space. They see twinkling stars and giant space rocks. They watch faraway planets and glowing moons. And they observe the sizzling-hot star that gives us light: the sun!
Recently, astronomers took a peculiar picture of the sun. What’s so strange? The sun looks like it’s smiling!
A Fiery Ball
The sun is a star made of gas and plasma. (Plasma is extra-hot gas that all stars are made from.) The sun is enormous. More than 1 million Earths could fit inside it!
Most of the time, the sun looks like a fiery ball with dark swirls. In this photo, the dark swirls look like two eyes and a mouth.
Is the sun actually smiling?
A Big Smile
Nope! Different parts of the sun’s surface are different temperatures. These temperatures change as the plasma moves around. The dark areas are places that are cooler than the areas next to them, appearing as dark swirls or patches. This time, they showed up looking like a happy face!
It’s possible the sun will have another expression soon. But don’t go looking for it. You can see these dark areas only through special telescopes. It’s too dangerous to look directly at the sun anyway.
Don’t worry though—astronomers will let us know the next time the sun is flashing a big smile!
PARAGRAPH POWER
Imagine you’re an astronomer who just took this picture of the sun. Write a short paragraph explaining what the sun is and why it appears to be smiling. Our online skill builder will show you how!
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Explore another story about our fascinating solar system: “A Vacation in Space.” This journey takes readers on a spacecraft to experience a trip of a lifetime—one that could be a reality sooner than you think.
After students have learned about our sun and moon, read “Should Regular People Go to Space” and have a class-wide debate.
For more space-related fun, read “Hello, Moon,” an infographic filled with interesting facts about this giant orbiting rock!
