About 93 million miles away from Planet Earth basks a 4.5 billion year old star. The “Sun” a.k.a “Helios” a.k.a “Sol” is 1 of over 100 billion stars within our galaxy. The Sun consumes 99.8% of the total mass of our solar system. Despite the Suns size, other stars are estimated to be hundreds of times as enormous. With each passing day, the Sun grows bigger, brighter, and hotter.The surface of the sun is called the photosphere, dense with about 74% hydrogen, 24% helium, and 2% oxygen/nickel/iron.

Sunlight is essential for human survival. It keeps us warm, grows many of our food sources, and gives us energy for that love-living attitude. Sunlight has been proven to improve moods and treat certain conditions such as depression, S.A.D., and other mood disorders.The Sun assists in Vitamin D production, essential for calcium metabolism. It strengthens our immune system, bones, and muscles. Our Sun also plays an important role in the balance between melatonin (the sleep hormone) and serotonin (hormone for wakefulness/elevated moods). For that reason, positivity levels are higher during the summer because of the increased exposure to the Sun, resulting in decreased levels of melatonin and elevated levels of serotonin (Vitamin D also plays a role in increasing serotonin levels).

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“Living on earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun.”

~Unknown~