Every morning from my house, I witness a surprising but beautiful scientific process. As the Earth rotates on its axis, it brings this region into the light of the sun, filling it with electromagnetic energy. This light, which begins its journey from the electrons of countless atoms on the sun’s surface, is a result of the powerful and energy-generating process of fusion.
In the sun, hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium, releasing energy. Electrons absorb this energy and enter an excited state. When they return to their predetermined energy orbits around their respective nuclei, the sun’s energy is released.
When this light reaches the leaves of trees, it is absorbed by specific proteins in mesophyll cells. These proteins, functioning like tiny machines known as photosystems, break down water molecules, releasing electrons. The energy from these electrons is then used to combine carbon dioxide molecules to form simple carbohydrates such as glucose. This process stores the sun’s electromagnetic energy in chemical form, fueling the growth and development of all living things in the environment.
These organisms include animals such as snails, turtles, snakes, and birds like woodpeckers and eagles, as well as numerous insects. Observing this natural phenomenon in depth with scientific knowledge enhances the appreciation of it.
A telescope in Hawaii, operational since August last year, has released images of the sun. This telescope, the world’s most powerful solar telescope, can observe the sun at extreme depths. One image shows the chromosphere, the sun’s atmosphere, covering an area of 51,000 miles. Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation, says the telescope will help us learn much about our star.
Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly confirmed that the sun’s color is actually white, not yellow. According to Kelly, the sun appears yellow due to the scattering of blue light in Earth’s atmosphere. Outside the atmosphere, the sun appears white. NASA explains that the atmosphere scatters more blue light than red, making the sun appear yellow to the human eye.
X-rays and gamma rays are filtered before reaching Earth. As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, more blue light is emitted, and red light reaches our eyes, making the sun and sky appear red at sunset. The sun also rotates on its axis from west to east, completing one cycle in about 27 days. This rotation was discovered by observing sunspots, which change positions constantly.
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The sun’s rotation varies: the polar regions take over 30 days to complete a cycle, while the equatorial regions take about 25 days. The sun tilts at 7.25 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit. There is even a sun, W0855, about 7 light years away, with a surface temperature of minus 13 degrees Celsius, known as the Cool Sun.
NASA astronomer David Carbino stated that there is a planet, GJ 1214B, entirely made of water, located 40 light years away. This ocean planet has no rocks or land and is four times larger than Earth.
Our solar system was formed about 4.571 billion years ago, with Earth forming 4.54 billion years ago. An asteroid shower occurred 3.9 billion years ago, bringing water to Earth. Scientists believe that water came from comets in the Kuiper Belt, which collided with Earth, initiating a cycle of cooling and water formation.
Earth appears as a beautiful blue marble from space, with white clouds and blue oceans. This water cycle has continued for billions of years, raising questions about the origin of water on Earth. Water is essential for life, and its presence on other planets may indicate the possibility of life.
Astronomers have found a rocky, Earth-like planet, K2-18b, 110 light years away. This planet, which orbits its star similarly to Earth, has water vapor in its atmosphere, suggesting the possibility of life.
In billions of years, the universe will meet its end, becoming infinitely vast and cold, and all intelligent beings will perish.
