The Sun showing bright orange surface with dark sunspots and glowing corona
Lizzie renaud (Nosey sunglasses); NASA/GSFC/SDO (smiling sun)

Smiling Sun

Learn what makes the sun look so happy.

From the May/June 2026 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will get information about sunspots through text and images.

Lexiles: 400L
Featured Skill: Nonfiction Text Features: Photographs & Labels
Topic: Science,

Standards

NASA/GSFC/SDO

  • (top right) Dark spots are cooler parts.
  • (middle left) This one looks like a smile.
  • (bottom left) The sun is made of gas.

This is a photo of the sun. Do you see two eyes and a little smile? They are dark spots on the sun. What are those dark spots?

Burning Star

The sun is a star. It is the closest star to our planet, Earth. Like all stars, it is not solid. It is made of burning hot gases.

Cool Parts

The dark spots are cooler places on the sun. They are not as bright as the rest of the sun. Sunspots pop up and then go away. This time, they made the sun look like a smiley face!

Seeing the Smile

You can see the dark spots only with a special telescope. Scientists have these powerful telescopes. But remember—you should never look right at the sun. It can hurt your eyes. Look at this happy picture instead!

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