9 – Sun v1

Below the last video are links to other bloggers posting about the sun

Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.

I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on the feet.

I have been lucky the past 12 hours – the brilliant sunset of yesterday followed by the glorious sunrise this morning. Outstanding back-to-back performances on the stage we call the sky – the actors known as light, dark, and clouds supporting the lead – the Sun.

Sunrise is opening the door to a new day – letting light pour into our life and spirit – then, sunset closes the door. The Sun does not know what happens behind the closed doors at night, yet the energy from the daily sun sustains our night.

The Sun rises and sets for everyone – for the young and the old – for males and females – for the able and disabled – for the healthy and the ill – even for the good and the evil.  

By day, the Sun is that energetic disk in the sky that is the source of power, light, and warmth. By night, the Sun still shines – just elsewhere in a place we cannot see.

The Sun – the center of our Solar System. By far, the brightest object in our sky and over 100 times larger than our planetary home.

The Sun – some 4.6 billion years old. Formed by a gathering of matter that became hot enough to support nuclear fusion – a reaction joining hydrogen atoms into one helium atom – and that reaction lights the fire supporting life on Earth.

The Sun – a star with a surface temperature so hot we can’t imagine. A place associated with solar flares, sunspots, supernovas, ultraviolet light, and more.

The Sun – our nearest star. However, if we stood on a different planet in a distant galaxy, our sun would only be a twinkle in the night sky while a different sun illuminates our way by day.

Photo by Jonas Ferlin on Pexels.com

Ancients thought the sun moved across the sky from horizon to horizon. This served as evidence we were the center of the universe. Today we know its appearance and disappearance (as well as the Moon’s) is due to Earth’s rotation.

The Sun – radiating energy in all directions, therefore only a small fraction of its energy touches Earth. One billionth seems minuscule – and to think most of that energy reflects into space. Oh, how powerful that ball of hydrogen and helium must be as so little of it is the foundational force for life on our lonely planet.

The Sun – the burning fire of life – the foundation of life as we know it – the initial energy for most food chains – the energy supporting almost all life on Earth by photosynthesis – the energy driving Earth’s climate and weather. All this by energy that takes over eight minutes to reach our planet.

The Sun – whose light grows a garden, paints a rose, highlights the morning dew while signaling the cock to crow, birds to sing, bees to seek nectar, flowers to face its way, and much more.  The leaves of a tree are so to catch as much of its light as possible – but also providing shade for us to rest. 

The Sun – whose colors of light are seen in all rainbows, and plays an active role in displaying the glorious colors of flowers. The Sun is light allowing us to see all the colors around nature. Without the sun, colors are muted – an illusion of red as gray, yellow as white. 

The Sun is a place of work and play. The Sun provides the golden rays that many seek to bronze their skin. The Sun is the source of the ultraviolet rays necessary to trigger our skin to produce vitamin D.

The Sun melts ice and wax, expands metals, hardens clay, warms water, and ripens fruits – but also melts, expands, warms, and ripens souls – but does not harden them.

The Sun can hide behind the clouds of day, occasionally peeking through holes in the clouds as if to say, “Do not fret for I am here.” – a sign of joy and hope behind the dark cloud of despair.

The Sun casts shadows, yet its height and angle determines the shadow’s length. 

The Sun warms us, shines on us, casts shadows on us, and blinds us. The Sun provides light for us to see because none of us desire to wander in shadows and darkness.

The Sun is more than we imagine – so much more that it requires a second walk. Which is a good thing because I like walking on the beach, which is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet. 

What others have posted about the sun

• The Sun will Come Out Tomorrow (poem and photos)
• Reaching for the Sun (An essay and photos)
• Photography by Janet (a regular beach walker)
• Open to the Sun (poem)
• The hour of the Sun (poem)
• From Anvica’s Gallery (an essay and photos)

Next Post: Sun v2 – Tuesday 17 November (1 AM Eastern US)

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