Things That Happen Because of the Sun

The sun is a huge hot ball of glowing gas composed of hydrogen, helium and some other oxides. It is the nearest star to the Earth. The sun is considered man's best friend as it is responsible for the existence of living beings in this universe. The sun helps in numerous ways. Sunlight that we receive on Earth provides us everything we require for our existence, like food, climate, fuel, water, air and energy. The sun creates an ecological balance of everything, thus stabilizing the environment and supporting life on the planet.

Photosynthesis

• Sunlight is a part of photosynthesis.

  Photosynthesis is a process through which plants make their own food by absorbing energy from solar radiation in the bonds of glucose and sugar. Plants use some part of sugar bonds for their own energy requirements and the remaining for producing fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables are available to humans and animals for their existence.

Oxygen

• Oxygen is required for the existence of humans and animals. During the process of photosynthesis, plants expel oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This way, the sun helps in managing the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere for the existence of living beings.

Greenhouse Effect

• The sun creates a greenhouse effect and warms the Earth. It is a process by which solar, or infrared, radiation is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases and is re-radiated. When solar radiation reaches the surface of Earth, some of it is absorbed and most of it is reflected to space. The greenhouse gases, like water vapors, present in the Earth's atmosphere, absorb this radiation before letting it pass and thus warm the atmosphere.

Weather

• The sun is responsible for creating weather. The sun heats the Earth's surface, but not the same areas at the same time. It is the difference of heating that creates the weather. When an area is warm and another is cold, air moves from one area to another in the form of winds. When water in oceans, lakes and ponds is heated, it evaporates and forms clouds and falls as rain.

Wind

• Hot air movement causes wind to blow.

  The sun helps in creating wind by unevenly warming the air present in the atmosphere. When the air is heated by solar radiation, air gets warmer and rises from the Earth's surface. As the warmer air rises, the cooler air descends and results in a wind cycle. In the whole process, energy from solar radiation is converted into kinetic energy.

Tides

• Water levels, or tides, are caused by gravitational adjustments of the sun, Earth and moon.

  Tides are differences in sea level caused by the gravitational attraction between the Earth, the sun and the moon. Today, energy from tides is also commercially exploitable.