Sun Coloring Pages

What Kind of Star Is Sun?

Sun is a giant ball of burning gas that gives light and heat to our home, Earth. Without Sun, Earth would be pitch-black and frozen, and no living things could survive. Sun is truly a special star that supports our lives.

Name Origin and English Name

In English, it is called The Sun. In Japanese, the word for Sun is written with two parts: "Tai," which means "great," and "Yo," which means "sunlight." Put them together, and it means "The Greatest Light." Long ago, people gave this special name to respect the brightest star in the sky.

The History of Sun

Sun was born about 4.6 billion years ago. It started when lots of space dust and gas squeezed together under their own weight, got super hot in the center, and began to shine! People say Sun will keep burning just like this for another 5 billion years. It has a super long life!

How Big Is Sun Compared to Earth?

Sun is bigger than you can ever imagine!

• The width of Sun (from one side to the other) is as wide as about 109 Earths lined up in a row.

• If Sun were a big bag, about 1.3 million Earths could fit right inside! Sun is huge, but there are many other stars in space that are even bigger than Sun.

Amazing Temperatures!

The closer you get to the center of Sun, the hotter it gets.

• Even the surface is about 6,000 degrees Celsius (10,000°F). That is hot enough to melt iron and turn it into steam!

• The very center of Sun is a mind-blowing 15 million degrees Celsius (27 million°F).

Sunspots and Prominences

If you look closely at the surface of Sun, you can see cool patterns.

• Sunspots: These are spots that are a little cooler than the area around them (about 4,000 degrees Celsius), so they look like dark dots.

• Prominences (Solar Flames): These are giant arching flames shooting out from the edge of Sun. Sometimes they look like a huge dragon dancing in the sky!

Distance from Earth

Sun and Earth are about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) apart.

• If you tried to go there by bullet train, it would take about 60 years!

• Even for super-fast light, it takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel from Sun to Earth. The sunlight you see right now actually left Sun 8 minutes ago!

Make a Blazing Color Gradient!

Sun is not just plain "yellow." If you mix different colors, your picture will feel full of hot energy.

• First, color the center with bright yellow.

• Layer orange around it, and try mixing a little red on the outermost "flame" parts.

• By layering many colors, you can show how Sun is burning hot and melty.

Draw the Flow of Wild Flames!

In your drawing, you made lots of wiggly flame lines around Sun.

• Try coloring along these lines by moving your brush or colored pencil outward.

• If you make the start of the lines dark and the tips light, Sun will look super cool, like it is blowing out hot wind.

Try Adding Sunspots!

When you color the patterns on Sun's surface, try drawing small dots and patterns on purpose using dark brown or dark orange.

• This makes the surface look bumpy. It will look like a living star, not just a plain ball.

• Instead of coloring the whole thing the same way, leave a few white spots and make some dark parts. This shows the strong, dazzling light.

Make Sun Stand Out with Space in the Background!

When you finish coloring Sun, let's color the "space" around it too.

• If you color around it with deep black or dark navy blue, Sun in the middle will pop out bright and shiny.

• If you add a soft blur of yellow or white right next to Sun, it looks like a glowing light around Sun.

Try Expressing Yourself Freely!

Sun can look like many different colors depending on who looks at it.

• Don't worry about real colors. You can use your ideas to make a "Blue Flame Sun" or a "Rainbow Sun"!

• You can draw a face inside Sun, or add planets around it. Have fun making your very own space!

Sun is a huge ball of burning gas!

Sun does not have hard ground or rocks like Earth does. It is a star made of tightly packed "gases" like hydrogen and helium. Deep inside, these gases crash together with big power, making Sun shine and glow so bright!

Sun is as big as 109 Earths lined up!

Sun is super huge! If you lined up Earths in a straight row across Sun, you could fit "about 109 Earths". If Sun were hollow inside, you could pack about 1.3 million Earths into it. It really is giant!

What are those black dots on the surface?

When you look at Sun with a special telescope, you can see little dark dots called "sunspots" on its surface. The surface of Sun is super hot at about 6,000 degrees, but the sunspots are a bit cooler at about 4,000 degrees. That is why they look darker than the rest of Sun!

It takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach us!

Sun is very far away from Earth, but sunlight travels at the fastest speed in the universe! Even so, it takes "about 8 minutes and 20 seconds" for light to get from Sun to Earth. That means the sunshine you see right now left Sun 8 minutes ago!