Who actually proved the sun is a flaming ball of gas?

Answer 1

Jules Janssen discovered that the sun was composed of helium in 1868 during a solar eclipse. Interestingly enough, this is also when helium was discovered.

Answer 2

The sun is not flaming.
It was Lord Kelvin who did the calculation that proved the sun could not be powered by coal (the best fuel know at the time). He showed that would not have lasted the length of time earth was here and supporting life for.


This caused others to look for the real method the sun used to make heat and light. After Curie discovered uranium, Rutherford showed it could transform and give off energy, and we began to understand nuclear reactions. Eventually we began to recognize the sun as a fusion reactor.

Answer 3

Can you actually prove anything if you can assume nothing?

If you heat up hydrogen and helium in the right proportions, then you can end up with the spectrum of light wave that you get from the Sun.

You can also use the gravitational attraction to the Earth and it's volume to determine its density which matches the prediction from the emission spectrum

From studying the proportions, you'll find that the Sun is about 74% hydrogen and 25% helium, with the rest made up of trace amounts of heavier elements.

Answer 4

The sun is not actually a burning ball of gas. It's actually a lively composition of plasma, liquids, solids, and gases intermingled together.

Answer 5

the sun is not "flaming", it's glowing. The energy is produced through nuclear fusion reactions. (hydrogen is being fused into helium and releasing large amounts of energy)

Answer 6

We are sending a space mission there soon. We plan to go at night, so we don't burn up.