SC.3.E.6.1 The Radiant Energy of the Sun

SC.3.E.6.1 Demonstrate that radiant energy from the Sun can heat objects and when the Sun is not present, heat may be lost.

What Kind of Energy Does the Sun Produce?

The Sun is a star. Like all stars, the Sun produces energy, some if it in the form of light. Another form of energy the Sun produces is radiant energy. Radiant energy is felt as heat. It is easy to think that the Sun is a ball of fire in space, but it is not. Fire also produces light and heat. Fires will use up all their fuel. The Sun does not use fuel the way that a fire does, and the heat and light produced by the Sun is different than the way a fire produces energy.

In the morning, the rotation, or spinning of the Earth on its axis, causes the Sun to appear to rise in the east. As the Sun rises higher in the sky, the radiant energy of the Sun is felt as heat. The day gets warmer, and you can feel the heat of the Sun on your skin. When a cloud covers the Sun, you may notice that you don’t feel the Sun’s heat as much. Later in the day, when the Sun moves lower in the sky, the day begins to cool. when the Earth’s rotation causes the Sun to set, it gets dark out. Light and radiant energy from the Sun are no longer present. The temperature of the air begins to cool at night. Objects that were warmed by the Sun during the day also begin to lose heat and cool off. The sand of the beach, the land in your yard, and the roads all lose the heat they gained from the Sun during the day. In the morning, when the Sun rises again, the cycle will begin once more.