The Sun[a] is the star at the center of the Solar System and is by far the most important source

of energy for life on Earth. It is a

nearly perfect spherical ball of hot plasma,[12][13] with internal convective motion that generates a magnetic field via a dynamo process.
[14]

Its diameter is about 109 times that of Earth, and it has a mass about 330,000 times that of Earth, accounting for about 99.86% of

the total mass of the Solar System.[15] Chemically, about three quarters of the Sun's mass consists of hydrogen, whereas the rest is
mostly helium, and much smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon and iron.[16]
The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star (G2V) based on spectral class and it is informally referred to as a yellow dwarf. It formed
approximately 4.567 billion[b][17] years ago from thegravitational collapse of matter within a region of a large molecular cloud. Most of
this matter gathered in the center, whereas the rest flattened into an orbiting disk that became the Solar System. The central mass
became increasingly hot and dense, eventually initiating thermonuclear fusion in its core. It is thought that almost all stars form by
this process. The Sun is roughly middle age and has not changed dramatically for four billion [b] years, and will remain fairly stable for
four billion more. However, after hydrogen fusion in its core has stopped, the Sun will undergo severe changes and become a red
giant. It is calculated that the Sun will become sufficiently large to engulf the current orbits of Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth.
The enormous effect of the Sun on the Earth has been recognized since prehistoric times, and the Sun has been regarded by some
cultures as a deity. Earth's movement around the Sun is the basis of the solar calendar, which is the predominant calendar in use
today.