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Shining Light on the Top 15 Fun Facts About 'Here Comes the Sun': Discover the Untold Stories Behind the Timeless Classic

illustration of here-comes-the-sun
Get ready to bask in the sunshine as we unveil a radiant collection of fun facts about the beloved Beatles' classic, "Here Comes the Sun"!

1. Ra: Sunbathing Fashionista

Once considered the ultimate sunbather, with a head for falconry and a flare for sun disks, Ra was actually the head honcho of ancient Egyptian solar deity fashion: This sun-loving god was not only a prominent figure in the Egyptian pantheon but also believed to be the creator of the universe and all forms of life, with a special mention to humans who were crafted from his oh-so-dramatic tears and perspiration.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Sun: Biggest Kid on the Cosmic Block

In a cosmic game of "Who Wore It Bigger?", the Sun certainly outshines the competition: Boasting 99.86% of our Solar System's total mass, the Sun tips the celestial scales at a whopping 333,000 times Earth's weight and flaunts a diameter around 109 times larger than our humble abode. Comparing the size of the Sun to Earth is like sizing up a basketball to a pebble – truly an astronomical difference!
Source => coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu

3. Sun's Pinball Party for Light Particles

Picture the Sun as a cosmic game of pinball, where countless balls of light ricochet off the bumpers like celestial tourists on a 30,000-year sightseeing tour: It takes a particle of light that long to finally escape the Sun's surface due to countless internal reflections. Meanwhile, speedy subatomic particles called neutrinos zip straight through the solar arcade and into the Solar System, where curious Earthbound observatories track their fascinating interstellar journey from the Sun's nuclear-powered core.
Source => wwu.edu

4. Midnight Sun's Non-Stop Daylight Disco

In a world where the sun just can't take a hint and simply refuses to set: behold the mysterious phenomenon of the polar day! Often experienced in locations like Svalbard, Greenland, Russia, Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia during their summer seasons, the Earth tilts to face the sun and treats its inhabitants to a non-stop, 24-hour party of daylight thanks to the midnight sun.
Source => oceanwide-expeditions.com

Sun: A Cosmic Rockstar

5. Sun: A Cosmic Rockstar

Here's a little sun-sational secret: Your favorite Beatles tune shares its name with a real-life, supermassive cosmic rockstar! You might say it's the John, Paul, George, and Ringo of the Solar System rolled into one: The sun, our gargantuan glowing neighbor, holds an outrageous 1,988,550,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg of mass – about 330,000 times the Earth's size! This interstellar powerhouse, dominating a staggering 99.86% of our Solar System's mass, churns out nuclear fusion in its scorching core, cranking up the heat and energy that keep life grooving here on our humble home planet.
Source => medium.com

6. Earth's Solar System Elliptical Workout

Who needs a treadmill when you're on a cosmic elliptical? Mother Earth is practically the Universe's very own elliptical machine, and she's not shy about varying her distance from the flaming, radiant heavens: At her closest approach in January, our planet works up a sweat at a mere 91.4 million miles (147.1 million km) away from the sun, but in July, she takes a break and stretches her legs out to a more comfortable 94.5 million miles (152.1 million km). This bittersweet cosmic dance averages out to a distance of about 93 million miles (150 million km), a measure so significant, astronomers call it one astronomical unit (AU) to quantify the spacious void between celestial bodies.
Source => space.com

7. Vintage Photons: Sunlight's Long Journey

Feeling like the sunshine is so last century? You're not wrong: The photons that reach your eyes during a stunning sunset actually began their stellar journey tens of thousands of years ago! Hilarious prelude: They're so vintage, even ancient civilizations would've said, "Man, that glow is old." Serious reveal: In reality, these photons are emitted and absorbed within the Sun's core and radiative zone as gamma radiation before finally escaping the surface and taking a mere 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. Now that's some seriously well-traveled light!
Source => phys.org

8. Sun's Future Apocalyptic Makeover

Warning: sunscreen may soon be your new best friend! In an epic solar blockbuster, the Sun is prepping for a role as the ultimate heat source: In a mere 1.1 billion years, our scorching star will be a whopping 10% brighter than its current performance, bidding farewell to any form of life on Earth's surface with an encore of apocalyptic moist greenhouse effects reminiscent of Venus' tragically steamy makeover.
Source => universetoday.com

9. Planetary Workout Routine: Gravity Edition

Did you know that planets engage in a celestial workout routine to maintain their heavenly figures? Well, not quite the treadmill, but gravity does all the heavy lifting: Larger planets with greater mass have a stronger gravitational pull, whereas distance from the sun, temperature, and atmosphere do not affect a planet's gravity. Even pint-sized asteroids orbit the sun, thanks to its generous gravitational pull!
Source => lpi.usra.edu

George Harrison's Solar Peace Treaty

10. George Harrison's Solar Peace Treaty

When Mother Nature is stuck in a cold shoulder with England and George Harrison chimes in to hash out a 'solar peace treaty': Did you know that "Here Comes the Sun", the Beatles' cheerful classic, was penned by Harrison as a cry for sunshine amid a gloomy English winter in 1969? This sunny tune's uplifting melody and lyrics have been warming the hearts of listeners worldwide ever since.
Source => cleanet.org

11. The Sun: A Flaming, Dramatic Diva

Who knew the Sun had a flare for drama? When it comes to hogging the solar stage, our Sun is a bit of a diva: containing 99.86% of all the mass in the Solar System, dwarfing Earth with a diameter of 864,400 miles, and weighing a staggering 333,000 times more than our petite little planet. In fact, the Sun could play host to about 1,300,000 Earths inside its fiery belly, making us the true definition of a cosmic speck!
Source => coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu

12. Solar Tantrums: Dodging Space Storms

When the sun throws a magnetic tantrum, Earth's satellites and power grids aren't merely shook - they could easily be pummeled into pieces and plunged into darkness: During solar maximum, the sun's magnetic field undergoes a polarity change, leading to sunspots, flares, auroras, and geomagnetic storms that can disrupt our earthly technologies. As history has shown, events like the 1859 Carrington Event illuminated the night sky enough for bedtime reading, while the 1989 equivalent forced Quebec to power down.
Source => news.wisc.edu

13. Sun's Existential Chemical Crisis

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, and it's alright… except for a little existential crisis about its chemical makeup: Scientists are still debating the exact levels of heavy elements like oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and neon in the sun, as it influences not only its life and death, but also the composition of other stars and planets in the universe.
Source => scientificamerican.com

14. Sizzling Solar Twist: Hotter Corona

Here Comes the Sun, and it's bringing the heat – but not where you'd expect: The Sun's corona, its outermost layer, can reach scorching temperatures of up to 1 million degrees Celsius, while its surface is a comparably cooler 5,500 °C; a peculiar solar twist that has researchers scratching their heads, suspecting nanoflares or even solar tornadoes could be the culprits for this sizzling coronal mystery.
Source => scied.ucar.edu

Beatles' Prescription for Sun-sational Vibes

15. Beatles' Prescription for Sun-sational Vibes

They say laughter is the best medicine, but after a gloomy winter, The Beatles prescribed a hearty dose of sunshine and good vibes: "Here Comes the Sun" was penned by George Harrison as an ode to the much-awaited arrival of sunny days, and its cheery melody was captured in just four takes, making it an everlasting hit for the band and a go-to tune for countless artists' renditions.
Source => courses.lumenlearning.com

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