When you wake up in the morning, one of the first things you might notice is the light peeking through your curtains. This light comes from the sun.

So, what is the sun and why is it so important?

Well, the sun is a star, a swirling ball of glowing gases. It looks a lot bigger than other stars, the ones we see in the night sky, because it is the closest star to us, 150 million Km away.

It’s temperature in the centre is around 15 million °C.

The Sun gives off energy which we experience as heat, light and ultraviolet light, a kind of energy that you can’t see or feel.

We can feel the sun's heat, especially on a clear summers day - when it's warm enough to wear a t-shirt without jacket. Even in winter, the heat from the sun can melt the snow or ice on your street.

The sun's light helps us to see clearly, even on cloudy days! It also helps us know what time of day it is; we get up in the morning when the sun's light is bright and go to sleep when we can't see the sun's light anymore.

Ultraviolet light is what can cause us to have a suntan, or sunburn if we’re not careful! We can protect ourselves from the sun's ultraviolet light by applying sunscreen that stops it getting into our skin and by limiting how much time we spend in the direct sunlight.

The sun affects all of our weather.

The heat from the sun can make our days hotter. We feel it most in the middle of the day when the sun is shining down on us more directly from overhead.

The heat also evaporates cloud and fog - turning them from drops of liquid water into water vapour, an invisible gas. That can make for a clear, lovely day.

So, when you feel the sun hitting your skin on a nice summer’s day, remember where the light and heat has come from, and how far the energy has travelled before reaching you.