The sun is much more than a bright light in the sky. It’s a giant ball of burning gas that holds our cosmic neighborhood together and without it, there would be no life on Earth.
Our home star is also much more dynamic than most people think. It constantly spits out streams of radiation into the solar system and cycles through periods of increased activity that can litter its surface with dark spots and bring potentially damaging solar storms raining down on our planet, triggering vibrant aurora displays.
We are also constantly learning new things about the sun, such as the true origin of its magnetic field and how to predict when it will violently erupt.
So how much do you know about the sun? Let’s test your knowledge of our local star with these 15 questions. And remember to log in to put your name on the leaderboard and click the yellow button if you need a hint!
—Milky Way quiz: How well do you know our home galaxy?
—Mars quiz: Is your knowledge of the Red Planet out of this world?
—Solar system quiz: How well do you know our cosmic neighborhood?
—Black hole quiz: How supermassive is your knowledge of the universe?