World
The Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the solar system, about 1 391 400 km across.
It is on the live 3D map, where it really is.
Key facts
- Diameter
- 1 391 400 km
How the map draws it
Close up, its edge darkens and reddens as a model of its atmosphere says it should; the grain stands for its churning surface: its cells are born, brighten and fade as real granules do, drawn coarser than they are (down to their real size from very close) and far faster, and the bright network toward the edge is illustrative; from very close the photographed map gives way to that drawn surface, which is illustrative too; the corona is illustrative, and drawn far brighter than it is so that it can be seen; the loops and hedgerows on its edge stand where NOAA’s active regions are near the limb, and their shapes and heights are illustrative; the stars beside it are faded, as its glare hides them from any camera.