The Sun Gives Us Light and Warmth. Our nearest star is the Sun. Its radiation gives the light and warmth that are vital for the existence of life on Earth.

The Earth Was Formed as a By-product of the Formation of the Sun. Our Earth and the other planets in the solar system came into existence as by-products of the formation of the Sun. Without the Sun, there would be no Earth, and no life as we know it.

Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and the Other Elements Needed for Life Were Produced by Earlier Generations of Stars. Nearly all of the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in today's universe (including such biologically important elements as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) were manufactured in earlier generations of stars. The most massive of those earlier stars ended their lives in superenergetic explosions, called supernovae. During supernova explosions, the stars ejected their heavy elements into space. There the heavy elements intermingled with the gas and dust already present between the stars (i.e., the interstellar gas and dust).

Some 4.6 billion years ago, our Sun and the planets formed from an interstellar cloud of gas and dust enriched by heavy elements from earlier generations of massive stars.

For some fun, try our Stars -- An Introduction Wordsearch.