Sun 101 | All About The Sun | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

Oh! Whose birthday is it, little kitty? Well, unfortunately, we don't know the exact date of the sun's birthday. However, we do know something about its birth and how it came into existence. So in today's episode, let us explore the creation of our beloved sun.. ..and answer a burning hot question. How was the sun formed? Zoom in! There are billions of stars in our galaxy. But the great glorious sun holds a special place in our lives. That's because its gravity keeps the solar system together.. ..holding everything from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris in its orbit. Not only that, the connection between the sun and earth.. ..drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather, radiation bells and auroras. But the vital question is, how did our sun come into existence? Well, it all started 4.5 billion years ago in the Milky Way galaxy's Orion Spur.. ..when waves of energy travelling through the space.. ..pressed together the clouds of gas and dust called a solar nebula. These clouds mainly consisted of the gases like Hydrogen and Helium. But some of it was made up of the remaining remnants of dead stars. Then, as the nebula collapsed because of its gravity.. ..most of the material was pulled toward the center as it began to spin faster.. ..causing the cloud to flatten into a disk. And in the center of this disk formation, the material continued to clump together.. ..as the matter condensed into a burning ball of gas to form a protostar. Then over the next tens of millions of years.. ..the temperature and pressure of the material inside increased.. ..jump-starting the fusion of Hydrogen that made the sun we know today. Today, with a radius of 4,32,168.6 miles.. ..our sun is the largest object in our solar system. It is so big that it would take 3,32,946 Earths to match the mass of the sun.. ..and can fit all 8 planets inside it nearly 600 times. The sun can be divided into 6 layers. Starting from the corona, next comes the chromosphere.. ..then the photosphere, followed by the convective zone.. ..radiative zone and finally the core. In terms of atom count, the sun is made up of 91% Hydrogen that acts as its fuel.. ..8.9% Helium and 0.1% heavier elements like Nitrogen and Carbon. The temperature at the surface of the sun is about 5600 Celsius.. ..which rises as we go inward towards the center of the sun.. ..where it reaches around 15 million Celsius. Now that's really hot! But here's a thing my friends, like all stars, the sun will someday run out of energy. Yes, scientists predict that the sun is a little less than half way through its lifetime.. ..and will last another 6.5 billion years. After that it will swell to become a red giant. Eventually it will shed its outer layers.. ..and the remaining core will collapse to become a white dwarf. Slowly, the white dwarf will fade and will enter its final phase as a dim, cool object.. ..known as a Black Dwarf. Did you know, the sun is the closest star to our planet? Yes, the sun is 93 million miles away from the earth. Hope you learned something new today. Until next time, it's me Dr. Binocs, Zooming out! Darker than the others. And sometimes you might even see sudden bursts of brightness on the surface of the sun. These are what we call sunspots and solar flares. Let me tell you something more about them. Come on, zoom in! The sun is a dense cloud of bright and hot gases. It holds immense pressure within itself. And sometimes this pressure becomes too much. So the sun has to let go of some of its energy. When the sun does this, some areas on the surface become even brighter. These bright areas are called solar flares. And they disappear very suddenly. Solar flares usually take place around the active parts of the sun's surface. Such as the sunspots. These are areas of high magnetic activity on the surface of the sun. Although they produce light, it is not as bright as the area around it. So the sunspot appears darker. They are actually cooler than the rest of the sun. When a solar flare occurs, it also releases different kinds of energy particles. Like electromagnetic energy, electrons, ions, etc. These particles usually reach the earth in around a day or two. But don't worry, they don't harm us. Because we are protected by the atmosphere of the earth and its electromagnetic field. The sunspots were even used in ancient times to figure out that the sun rotates. When people looked at the sun, they noticed the spots change. And realized that the sun must be rotating. Trivia Time! Auroras, popularly known as the Northern Lights, are caused by the solar wind hitting the earth's atmosphere. Sunspots were observed as far back as 364 BC by astronomers in ancient China. Now, wasn't all this amazing? Who knew there is so much going on, on the surface of the sun? As they say, don't judge a book by its cover. Who knows what is going on under such simple looking things. So friends, until next time, keep your binoculars out and your eyes open. Who knows what you might find? This is me, zooming out. Oh no, I forgot to bring the sunscreen lotion, kitty. And I don't want both of us to fall prey to those harmful UV rays from the sun. And get painted with a tan. So, let's go back and bring it. UV rays? Yes, little kitty, UV rays. Hey friends, as we carry our uninteresting journey back to our house. Let us fill it with some interesting discussion. And learn about the harmful radiation coming from the mighty sun. And answer a burning question. What are UV rays? Zoom in. The sun, the great glorious golden sun. The one that provides energy to living beings. Warms us and turns night into a beautiful new day. Filled with hope and enthusiasm. But, like anything else, our sun isn't perfect as well. And has a dark side to it. Yes, my dear friends. And UV rays are one such disadvantage our sun possesses. But what are these UV rays everyone fears? More than an asteroid hitting the Earth's surface. Before we answer that question. We need to learn about an important thing with a fancy name. That sounds like the next sci-fi movie. And that is Electromagnetic Spectrum. You see, when we think of light. You probably think of what your eyes can see. But, the light to which our eyes are sensitive. Is just the beginning. It is a fragment of the total amount of light around us. Yes, right from radio waves, gamma rays. And you won't believe, but most of the light in the universe. Is invisible to us. Meaning, we can't see it through naked eyes. How ironic, isn't it? So, Electromagnetic Spectrum is a term used by scientists. To describe the entire range of light that exists. Including the invisible UV or ultraviolet rays. That are produced by the mighty sun. When the sunlight reaches the Earth's surface. It consists of three types of radiations. The infrared light that we can feel as heat. The invisible light that allows us to see the surrounding things. And last comes the UV radiation. The ever powerful one that can't be seen or felt by anyone. But when it comes to feeling the destructive effects of the sun's rage. The UV radiations are the main offender. These rays come in three forms. Ultraviolet A or UVA. Ultraviolet B or UVB. And Ultraviolet C or UVC. Although UVC is the most destructive of them. Fortunately, they are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. Which is the protective layer of gases surrounding the planet. And does not reach the Earth's surface. And it's mostly the UVA rays that we get exposed to on a daily basis. And at times, UVB rays can penetrate or come through the atmosphere. Causing damage to people who are exposed to these rays. But the vital question is. How do these seemingly innocent radiations cause so much of damage to us? Well, for that, we need to zoom into your body. To look at the upper layer of the skin called Epidermis. That protects you from many external forces. Just like that, when the visible light coming from the sun hits your skin. It reflects off the Epidermis. But the UVB can penetrate through your skin into the Epidermis. And reacts with the DNA and thus damaging it. Although a low level damage can be repaired. But overexposure to UVB rays makes it hard for our body to maintain it. And thus leading to many skin disorders including skin burns. Inflammation and can even cause skin cancer. On the other hand, overexposure to UVA rays can also lead to cancer. But it is mostly responsible for causing wrinkles. Yes, it can penetrate to the deep layer of skin called the Dermis. Which has the scaffolding of molecules such as collagen. That gives your skin the elasticity. But all the flexibility finds it hard to fight the UVA rays. As it damages the collagen scaffolding. Causing wrinkles and making you look older than your age. But don't you worry about it my friends. As there are very easy peasy lemon squeezy ways. To protect ourselves from the wrath of the sun. Yes, just limit your time in the sun, wear glasses. Using sunscreen can reduce the level of damage caused by harmful radiation. And you can continue to live a healthy life. Did you know, the bees can see the UV rays. That help them to get the direction to the pollen. As the rays are reflected on the petals. Also, elephants can sense that their skin may get sunburn. And hence they guard themselves by covering up in a protective coat of mud. Now, that's what we call being self-aware. Hope you enjoyed today's episode. Until next time, it's me Dr. Binocs zooming out. Ah, never mind. Hey, where did the lights go? Is it night already? No Dr. Binocs, something just hit the sun. It's scaring me. Oh, don't worry buddy, this is nothing but the eclipse. Here, take these glasses. Hello friends, thanks for passing by. As you can see, the sun's got hidden and it's really dark out here. Do you know what it is? Don't worry, it is nothing but the solar eclipse. Come, let me tell you something about the solar eclipse today. Zoom in! A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun. Causing a shadow of the moon to fall on certain portions of the earth. From these locations, it appears as if the sun has gone dark. Since the moon is very small in front of the sun, it only blocks a part of it. Hence, a solar eclipse cannot be seen from every part of the earth. But only from the locations where the shadow of the moon falls. So buddy, no reason to get scared now, is it? No Dr. Binocs, not at all. The three major parts during a solar eclipse are Umbra, Antumbra and Penumbra. The Umbra is the portion of the moon's shadow where the moon completely covers the sun. This is when the total solar eclipse occurs. Where you cannot see the sun at all. Antumbra is the area beyond the Umbra. Here the moon is completely in front of the sun. But doesn't cover the entire sun. The outline of the sun can be seen around the shadow of the moon. And that is when you see the annular solar eclipse. Penumbra is the area of the shadow where only a portion of the moon is in front of the sun. This is when the partial solar eclipse occurs. Which lets you see only a part of the sun. You could see how the solar eclipse works in your homes. Take these two balls. The bigger blue ball is the earth. And the smaller white ball will represent the moon. Place them like this. And light up the torch. The torch will be our sun. There there, you just got a homemade solar eclipse. Amazing, isn't it? Trivia Time! One should never watch the solar eclipse with bare eyes. Because of the harmful UV rays. The longest a total solar eclipse can last is 7 and a half minutes. So now if day suddenly turns into night. You would know it is the solar eclipse. This is me zooming out. Tune in next time for more fun facts. Oh! Why did you paint the sun black little kitty? Oh no no no. The sun can't be.. Oh! Wait a minute. That's an interesting scenario to explore. Hey friends, so in today's episode let us figure out.. ..what could happen if our sun became a black hole. Zoom in! Well, first of all the sun will never turn into a black hole. Yes my dear friends, the sun would need to be about.. ..20 times more massive to end its life as a black hole. Stars born this size or larger can explode into a supernova.. ..at the end of their lifetimes before collapsing back into a black hole. The black holes are objects with a gravitational pull so strong.. ..that nothing, not even light can escape. But the vital question is.. ..what would happen to our sun once it reaches the end of its life? Well, scientists predict that the sun is a little less than half way through its lifetime.. ..and will last another 6.5 billion years. After that it will swell to become a red giant. Eventually it will shed its outer layers.. ..and the remaining core will collapse to become a white dwarf. Slowly the white dwarf will fade and will enter its final phase.. ..as a dim cool object known as a black dwarf. But just for the sake of this video.. ..let's imagine for a while that the sun did turn into a black hole. What would it be like for us? Well, considering the nature of black holes.. ..it's easy to think that the black hole sun.. ..will start to pull our earth and other planets towards it.. ..before they get sucked into its point of singularity. But let me put your fears to rest.. ..and say that none of those awful things will happen. Yes, my dear friends! That's because our black hole sun will be as small as 6 kilometers across.. ..and it won't contain more matter than it has now. Therefore, its gravity won't be strong enough.. ..to pull objects or planets orbiting.. ..more than 3 kilometers away from the center of the solar system. So it means, fortunately we will continue to hold our current orbit.. ..and move around the black hole sun. But it does not mean that it will be an easy ride for our planet.. ..because this black hole sun won't give out any light and heat. So, no wonder everything on earth will be pitch dark and freezing cold. Sure, humans can use artificial light to tackle the darkness for a while.. ..but the bigger concern here will be the dropping temperature.. ..which will quickly freeze the surface water. Not only that, without sunlight photosynthesis will stop.. ..and plants and consequently plant-eating species will perish.. ..and even humans will come on the verge of extinction. So in these life-threatening scenarios.. ..the only hope for mankind for survival will be building underground houses. Staying below ground will help us to harness the power of science.. ..and use geothermal energy to generate electricity and heat. But fortunately, our sun will never turn into a black hole.. ..so there is no need to worry in that regard. However, as we know, like any other star.. ..one day our sun will vanish too. TRIVIA TIME! Did you know, the smallest known black hole, Unicorn.. ..is just 3 times the mass of the sun? Not only that, but it happens to be the closest known black hole too.. ..at just 1500 light years from earth. Hope you learnt something new today. Until next time, it's me Dr. Pinox, Zooming out! Never mind! Oh! What happened? The sun exploded! Gosh! Thank God, it's just a balloon. Imagine what would happen if our sun explodes for real! Well, that we will learn in today's episode. Hey friends, so without taking any more time.. ..let us explore this explosive hypothetical scenario.. ..by answering an exciting question. What if the sun exploded? Zoom in! Just for a quick recap, a supernova is a massive explosion.. ..that takes place at the end of a star's life cycle. In other words, it's a death of a star. And because of this explosive nature.. ..stars can be a big threat to their surrounding.. ..as they can destroy anything within their range. So, this makes us wonder.. ..what would happen if someday our sun explodes too? Well, those who are worrying about it.. ..let me tell you that it will not be a good sight.. ..as well as we don't stand a chance. Yes, for our planet to be completely safe from a supernova.. ..it must be at least 50 light years far away from the explosion spot. Whereas, our sun is merely 93 million miles away from Earth. Meaning, the odds are clearly against us. So, in case the sun explodes tomorrow.. ..the radiation and shock waves coming out of it.. ..will roast everything in its path. And once it enters the Earth's atmosphere.. ..the side facing the blast will be instantly burnt.. ..and cleaned off, including the oceans. While people residing at the night side.. ..will feel a sudden temperature rise.. ..that would be 15 times hotter than the sun's current surface temperature. But before they could understand the reasons behind it.. ..within the next few seconds or so.. ..the blast waves of the matter would engulf the entire planet.. ..turning it into a lifeless heat ball. And without the sun's gravity holding us in orbit.. ..Earth would likely start floating off into infinite space. But fortunately, none of it is going to happen. Yes, my dear friends. Only star 10 times the size of our sun or bigger.. ..can explode like a bursting balloon. On the other hand, our sun will die slowly.. ..like when you gradually let the air out of a balloon. That's true. Scientists predict that the sun is a little less than half way through its lifetime.. ..and will last another 6.5 billion years. After that, it will swell to become a red giant. Eventually, it will shed its outer layers.. ..and the remaining core will collapse to become a white dwarf. Slowly, the white dwarf will fade and will enter its final phase.. ..as a dim, cool object known as a black dwarf. TRIVIA TIME! Did you know that a white dwarf, the core of the dead star.. ..weighs almost as much as the sun while being only the size of the Earth? Yes, a teaspoon of a white dwarf would weigh somewhere around 6,000 kilograms. That's as much as an adult elephant. Hope you learned something new today. Until next time, it's me Dr. Binocs, Zooming out! Never mind! Oh no, little kitty! The great glorious sun isn't bad, but it's the reason behind everything good on our Earth. Hey friends, it's easy to take three things for granted, like the sunlight. But have you ever wondered what will happen if the sun suddenly blinked out of existence? Well, in today's episode, let us shed some light on this dark possibility.. ..and answer a life-threatening question. What if the sun disappeared? Zoom in! Imagine you wake up in the morning for a quick dose of vitamin D from the sun. So, you open the window and breathe the energy from those warm rays.. ..and pick up the newspaper that reads the headlines.. The sun is going on a summer vacation! Forever! So, you panic, sweat while biting your nails and wonder what will happen now? Well, the answer is, nothing! But, only for the first eight minutes or so. Yes, as we know, light takes approximately eight minutes to reach our surface from the sun. So, we'd still see it in the sky for some time. But then, things will just take a turn for the worse. Yes, the first thing you will notice is the darkness around the world. Although, you would be able to see the distant stars.. ..but apart from them, there won't be any other natural source of light.. ..not even the silver moon, as it gets its light from the sun. And, as Einstein's theory of relativity suggests that gravity travels at the speed of light.. ..so, after those initial eight and a half minutes.. ..there won't be any gravitational force to hold the earth on a particular orbit.. ..and it will fly away into the solar system, into the endless space in a straight line.. ..at the speed of 18 miles per second. And, if we are lucky enough not to collide with other planets and asteroids.. ..or get absorbed by a black hole.. ..we will continue to travel for the next 43,000 years.. ..until we find another star to orbit around. But, that would be rather a long time. The current scenario on earth will continue to depreciate.. ..and the next we will witness is that without the sunlight, photosynthesis would stop.. ..but that would only kill some of the plants. Yes, fortunately, some larger trees can survive for decades without it.. ..but eventually, sooner or later, they will meet their end as well. Later, within a week or so, the temperatures would begin to drop below zero.. ..that would put most living organisms on the verge of extinction, including humans. And within a couple of months, the ocean surface would freeze over.. ..but it would take another thousand years for our seas to freeze solid. Until then, the ocean's interior will remain liquid.. ..due to the heat emitting from the earth's core. Because of this, the organisms living in the deep ocean that doesn't need sunlight.. ..will continue to thrive for billions of years until the water completely turns into ice. And our beautiful green planet would be nothing but a barren wasteland.. ..floating aimlessly through space. So, we should be thankful for the great sun.. ..because of which everything is in perfect order. TRIVIA TIME! Did you know, astronomers estimate that the sun has about 7 billion to 8 billion years left.. ..before it sputters out and dies? But before that, in about 5 billion years, the sun will run out of hydrogen. Hope you learnt something new in today's episode. Until next time, it's me, Dr. Binocs, Zooming out! Ah, never mind.