Our Sun is a yellow-dwarf star that has been around longer than you and me combined: 4.6 billion years! Whereas animals are made of a wide variety of elements, including but not limited to carbon, calcium, iron, and magnesium, the Sun is comprised of two main gases: hydrogen and helium.

The Sun is instrumental in many planetary and life processes for the eight bodies and 146 moons that orbit it. For example...

Photosynthesis! Autotrophs, which are organisms with the ability to make their own food, require on sunlight alongside carbon dioxide and water to produce energy and create oxygen, the latter of which animals benefit from having a hefty supply of! If plants don't survive, we won't be able to breathe.

Climate! If in equilibrium, radiation in the form of warmth from the sun ensures Earth stays the perfect temperature for our survival. Although some countries are colder than others, our bodily fluids never freeze on this planet, nor does our skin melt even though summers can be unbearably warm! The sun is the key to our global temperature remaining habitable.

The Sun also effects the four seasons, weather patterns, auroras, radiation belts, and ocean currents. Without the Sun, our solar system and home planet would look completely different.