10 Facts about the Sun

1. The sun is actually a star, the closest star to Earth
The sun is an average star, meaning its size, age, and temperature fall in about the middle of the ranges of these properties for all stars. While some in our galaxy are nearly as old as the universe, about 15 billion years, our sun is a 2nd-generation star, only 4.6 billion years old. Some of its material came from former stars.

* Velocity Relative to Near Stars: 19.7 km/s
* Spectral Type: G2 V
* Synodic Period: 27.2753 days
* Solar Constant (Total Solar Irradiance): 1.365 - 1.369 kW/m2

2. The sun is by far the largest object in the solar system
The sun contains over 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System (Jupiter contains most of the rest).

* Equatorial Radius: 695,500 km
* Equatorial Circumference: 4,379,000 km
* Volume: 1,142,200,000,000,000,000 km3
* Mass: 1,989,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg
* Density: 1.409 g/cm3
* Surface Area: 6,087,799,000,000 km2


3. We have always known the sun
Unlike many other objects in our solar system, the sun has been known to humans since the dawn of time. There is no discovery date or discoverer.

4. Since its creation, the sun has used up about half of the hydrogen in its core
Over the next 5 billion years or so, it will grow steadily brighter as more helium accumulates in its core. As the supply of hydrogen dwindles, the Sun's core must keep producing enough pressure to keep the Sun from collapsing in on itself. The only way it can do this is to increase its temperature. Eventually it will run out of hydrogen fuel. At that point, it will go through a radical change which will most likely result in the complete destruction of the planet Earth.

5. The Greeks named the sun Helios but the Romans used the name Sol, which is still in use today. Because of the important role the sun plays in our lives, it has been studied, perhaps, more than any other object in the universe, outside out own planet Earth. Our Sun has inspired mythology in almost all cultures, including ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, Native Americans, and Chinese.

6. Ulysses was the first spacecraft to study our Sun's poles
Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and sent towards Jupiter with powerful booster rockets. After studying Jupiter for 17 days, Ulysses used the giant planet's gravity to hurl it into an orbit out of the Ecliptic Plane, where planets orbit our Sun.

The other primary Solar mission is SOHO. The international Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has been keeping a steady watch on the Sun since April 1996.
7. The sun's strong gravitational pull holds Earth and the other planets in place
It keeps the planets orbiting inside the solar system:

* Equatorial Surface Gravity: 274.0 m/s2
* Escape Velocity: 2,223,720 km/h

8. The sun is made up of distinctive areas
In addition to the energy-producing solar core, the interior has two distinct regions: a radiative zone and a convective zone. From the edge of the core outward, first through the radiative zone and then through the convective zone, the temperature decreases from 8 million to 7,000 K. It takes a few hundred thousand years for photons to escape from the dense core and reach the surface.

9. How does the sun's "surface" and "atmosphere" compare to planets?
The "surface," known as the photosphere, is just the visible 500-km-thick layer from which most of the Sun's radiation and light finally escape, and it is the place where sunspots are found. Above the photosphere lies the chromosphere ("sphere of color") that may be seen briefly during total solar eclipses as a reddish rim, caused by hot hydrogen atoms, around the Sun. Temperature steadily increases with altitude up to 50,000 K, while density drops to 100,000 times less than in the photosphere.

10. An unsolved mystery of the sun involves the corona ("crown")
Above the chromosphere lies the corona ("crown"), extending outward from the Sun in the form of the "solar wind" to the edge of the solar system. The corona is extremely hot - millions of degrees kelvin. Since it is physically impossible to transfer thermal energy from the cooler surface of the Sun to the much hotter corona, the source of coronal heating has been a scientific mystery for more than 60 years.

Australia and the Orthodox Christians

It's been a real surprise for me to find on Elisabeth and Craig's blog these pictures - I hope they don't mind me taking these pictures from their post on their trip in Australia.
This church is situated in Cobber Pedy

"Coober Pedy

846km North of Adelaide. Coober Pedy - the opal capital of the world is Australia's unique "underground town". Half its 3,500 people from over 45 different nationalities live underground to escape the summer heat.

The cosmopolitan capital of Australia's opal mining towns has numerous interesting features including historic mines, dugout homes, shops, churches, the colourful Stuart Range and - of course - OPAL! It has been described as looking much like the surface of the moon."

(from here)

At Cobber Pedy there is also a Catholic church built underground - in an old copper mine.
More details here.
In Australia there are a few orthodox denominations that are organized either as bishoprics or as parishes under the jurisdiction of dioceses.
The Greek Orthodox Archidiocese of Australia - jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch
The Russian Orthodox Diocese for Australia and New Zealand
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Australia
The Romanian Orthodox Church in Australia - as far as I understand there is also a Romanian Vicariate in Australia
Other links to other Orthodox churches and denominations in Australia.

St. Valentine and the Orthodox Church

The Orthodox calendar mentions Saint Valentine, actually more than one Valentine. It depends on the country and on the decisions of the Patriarch and the synod (council).
For example the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates a St. Valentine on April 24. This saint lived in Moesia in Durostorum. He was martyred because he was a Christian and refused to worship the pagan gods.
In the Romanian Orthodox calendar there is a Saint Valentine celebrated on February the 16. (Sfantul Valentin 16 februarie). This Saint Valens lived in Caesarea Palestine (or Caesarea Maritima). Valens was martyred during the persecution begun by Diocletian in 303. Another Saint Martyr executed on the same day is Saint Pamphilus - Christian scholar whose most important disciple was Eusebius of Caesarea - for further reading go to GOARCH.
A full list of the saints celebrated on February 16 is available on OrthodoxWIKI.
Martyrs Pamphilus the presbyter, Valens the deacon, Paul, Seleucus, Porphyrius, Julian, Theodulus, Elias, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Samuel and Daniel, at Caesaria in Palestine; Saint Maruthas, Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, and the Persians martyred with him; Martyr Romanus of Mount Athos; New-Martyrs Priest Elias and Priest Peter Lagov; Saint Flavian the hermit; Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch; Saint Flavian the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople; Saint Romanos the Younger; Virgin-Martyr Juliana of Naples. Other events: repose of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, Apostle to the Altai.

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates on February 14th Saint Valentine. There are three saints - all martyred - named Valentine, Valens or Valentinus in the Catholic calendar. It is said that he was a priest who lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II - 3rd century AD. The Emperor outlawed the marriage of young men because he wanted them to join the army and not no be concerned with the daily life of a family. Valentinus continued to perform marriages and defied the decree. The Emperor found put and ordered the execution of Valentine.
It seems that in fact the Catholic Church tried to adapt and adopt the pagan rituals which were still very popular in the early years of Christianity.
It is said that St Valentine is the patron saint of lovers and love. People give presents to the loved ones on this day. "Will you be mt Valentine?" and the handwritten love notes are very popular especially in the western countries and the are becoming increasingly popular with lovers all over the world.
A very interesting article about St. Valentine and the modern celebration of this saint may be found here.
I dare to quote: "And St. Valentine demonstrated this love when he died for his friends, and for his faith in Christ. This is the kind of love that Valentine's Day is really all about. And this is what his Feast Day of Feb. 14 should bring to our minds. May God help us to have that same kind of love for others, and that same kind of commitment and faithfulness to Christ, even in the face of death, until the Lord calls us home."

GREECE - THE LAND WHERE MODERN CULTURE ORIGINATED FROM

Nothing else has made me recently exclaiming "How beautiful is that" or "Oh, look at that". Nothing else but the astonishing monuments one can admire and visit in Greece (Ελλάς - Ellas in Latin letters), in Athens to be more precise. After leaving home with a little concern about the trip - which was indeed very long (27 hours)- I arrived in Athens in the morning. I cannot describe how did I feel when entering this city.
Narrow streets, orange trees - a magic smell that somehow resembles the jasmin -, people everywhere, sun, beautiful people (the Greeks are really beautiful and very elegant people) and above all the feeling that I step on thousands of years of history and civilisation.
I heard stories about the Mediterranean sun, I heard stories about the people of Athens, I heard stories about the monuments but nothing can really describe Greece as it is. One should go there and discover it in his or her own way.
The Acropolis with its temples and the Agora made me feel, you know, small in front of one of the greatest achievements of the humankind. Stepping on the Sacred Rock of the old gods and seeing Athens in its full splendour is simply breathtaking.
Lycavittos - the hill at the centre of the city that is thought to be a rock dropped by the goddess Athena from the sky - is the other landmark on the horizon of Athens.
I have seen with my own eyes the famous Evzones - the guards in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier - in Syntagma Square. In summer it must be a tough job to stay in the sun but at least the guard is changed every one hour.
The tavernas couldn't have missed from my visit to Athens. Small but intimate and comfortable they offered me the chance to see the Greeks and not only having a cup of coffee or just chatting with friends. I cannot forget mentioning the Greek food - I recommend those who are visiting Greece 'souvlaki' and 'gyros' and of course some salad.
Do not imagine that Athens is a place where people just look at the ruins and do nothing else. The Greeks are very proud of the past but at the same time they value the present. The Greeks are Orthodox and they are very proud of that. The national flag consists of a cross and orizontal blue and white stripes.

As far as the public transport is concerned I can tell you it is very civilized and it works perfectly. Modern buses, trolleybuses and trams take the locals and the tourists in all the four corners of the city. The metro is ... perfect, it shines with cleanliness - I thought it may be transformed into a hospital one day :)). A tip - buy a 10 euro ticket that is valid one week on all means of transport and on all lines, except the express lines to the international airport.

Visiting Athens even if the time was too short has been the best decision I have made lately. It's been a unique occasion to see with my own eyes the place where the modern western culture originated from.