How hot is the sun?

Life on Earth would not exist without our huge hot glowing ball of gas.

But just how hot is the sun?

The temperature of the sun varies from around 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius)

at the core to only about 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C) at the surface, according to NASA

Every 1.5 millionths of a second, the sun releases more energy

than all humans consume in an entire year according to NASA Space Place.

The sun is made of gas and plasma. Most of the gas — 92% — is hydrogen.

If the sun were smaller, it would just be a huge ball of hydrogen akin to Jupiter.

According to NASA Space Place, the hydrogen in the sun's core is held together by a lot of gravity resulting in high pressure.

The pressure is so high that when hydrogen atoms collide with enough force

They form a new element – helium – in a process known as nuclear fusion.

The continual nuclear fusion, causes energy to build up

and the sun's core reaches temperatures of about 27 million degrees F (15 million degrees C).

The energy then radiates outward to the sun's surface, atmosphere and beyond.