SUN: EXPLAIN LIGHT

To a 5 year old -

Imagine the sun as a big ball of gas, kind of like a gigantic fire in the sky.

This ball of gas is so huge and hot that it glows really brightly, just like a light bulb.

The light from the sun travels all the way from the sun to reach us on Earth.

(The Sun is 152 kilometres / 94 miles away from Earth)

Do you know what happens when you turn on a flashlight?

The flashlight has a special part inside called a battery that gives it power.

In the same way, the sun has its own special kind of power that makes it shine. This power is called nuclear fusion.

Inside the sun, tiny particles called atoms are constantly crashing into each other.

When they crash, they stick together and make new kinds of atoms.

This process releases a lot of energy, just like when you build a tall tower with blocks and then knock it down.

All that energy makes the sun glow brightly and gives off light.

So, the sun is like a really big, hot fire in the sky, and the light it gives off is because of the atoms crashing into each other and making energy.

That's why we see the sun shining during the day, and it helps us see everything around us.