About Sun - Clarifications about myths

Indians give much importance to Sooryadarshan (watching the waking Sun with folded hands in piety) and Soorya Namaskar (kneeling before the rising Sun and making prayers in a ceremonial way).  There is a belief that being exposed to the risiing and setting sun adds to the charm of the body.  However, preceptors have warned against the timing one should not look at the sun.

There are numerous poems as well as stories tat describe the Sun as a miraculous phenomenon that determine the life on Earth.  Long since, the Sun, the nucleus of the Solar System has been the deity of man.  The Sun temple of Konark in Orissa stands proof to this.

The Sun that stands 15 crore kilometres away from the Earth is hotter than fire itself.  Its surface heat is 580 kelvin whereas its core experience a heat of 15.6 crore kelvin.  In the Sun having an area of 14 lakh kilometre, 70 crore ton hydrogen turns helium every second  Solar energy emerges out of nuclear fusion.  Nearly 50 lakhs ton energy emergy per second as gamma rays.  The Sun calculated to have been in existence for 450 crore years, is believed to remain glowing for another crore more years.

Our age old belief prevents looking at the Sun reflected in the water and during the noon.  Science too supports this.  It is harmful to look at the Sun while it is extremely bright and hot.  If one looks at the sun at noon, the eye sight is adversely affected.  This was referred to as the Sun's curse in ancient India.  The Sun reflected in the water was, for the ancient sages, a fusion of the Sun God and the Sea God Varuna, and hence a sight of taboo for the believers.

Our ancestors have also recognised that the Setting Sun is not as powerful as the Rising Sun.  They also professed that the red evening sky points to this fact.  The modern scientists have approved of this.

While the Sunrays travel along the air zone of the Earth, it is a daiy experience that a portion of the rays clash with the air molecules.  It is found that the particles of less wave length in the light area thus left spread more.  Besides, the more distance light travels along the air zone, the more the number of rays lie spread as well.

The Sunrays of the evening take nearly sixteen times longer a way than those of the Mid Noon Sun.  By the time they travel all the way through the air, the particles of less wave length get spread all over.  Some of the red rays whose wave length remains high, are left without getting sprayed.

These red rays are caught in our eyes as we look at the Setting Sun.  This is why the Setting Sun appears red.