Which statement about the Sun is true?

Which statement about the Sun is true?

• A. It is a frozen ball of ice
• B. It is a planet with a solid surface
• C. It is a giant gas planet
• D. It is a big ball of plasma

Answer: (D)

The Sun is best described as a big ball of plasma. At the Sun’s extreme temperatures, matter exists as plasma, a hot, ionized gas where electrons are free from nuclei. This state means there is no solid surface and energy is produced by nuclear fusion in the core, then travels outward through the hot plasma to the surface and into space. Describing the Sun as a plasma ball captures its true nature far better than calling it a frozen ice ball, a planet with a solid surface, or a giant gas planet. An icy object would not survive the Sun’s heat, a planet has a solid surface, and while gas giants are large planets with thick atmospheres, they are not stars and do not fuse hydrogen in their cores.

The Sun is best described as a big ball of plasma. At the Sun’s extreme temperatures, matter exists as plasma, a hot, ionized gas where electrons are free from nuclei. This state means there is no solid surface and energy is produced by nuclear fusion in the core, then travels outward through the hot plasma to the surface and into space. Describing the Sun as a plasma ball captures its true nature far better than calling it a frozen ice ball, a planet with a solid surface, or a giant gas planet. An icy object would not survive the Sun’s heat, a planet has a solid surface, and while gas giants are large planets with thick atmospheres, they are not stars and do not fuse hydrogen in their cores.