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.

Stupid American Laws and Regulations

In Atwoodville, Connecticut, it is illegal to play Scrabble while wailting for a politician to speak.

In Nebraska, a parent can be arrested in his or her child can’t hold back a burp during a church service. It is also against the law to sneeze in a Nebraska church. Meanwhile in God-fearing Alabama, it is illegal to wear a false moustache which causes laughter in church.

It is illegal to walk down the street in Maine with your shoelaces undone.

In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for a man to purchase alcohol without written consent from his wife.

When a man meets a cow in Minnesota, he is required by law to remove his hat.

In Texas, it is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

It is illegal to spit into the wind in Nebraska.

In Ohio, women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public. In Cleveland, Ohio, it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting licence.

In North Dakota, it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

No store is Providence, Rhode Island, is allowed to sell a toothbrush on a Sunday. But they can sell toothpaste and mouthwash on the Sabbath.

In Kansas, it’s against the law to catch fish with your bare hands.

An Ohio law states that pets have to carry lights on their tails at night.

In Florida, women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. And men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

In Vermont, it is illegal for a woman to wear false teeth without first obtaining written permission from her husband.

In Iowa, it is illegal for a kiss to last more than five minutes.

In Oklahoma, it is illegal to get a fish drunk. You also risk arrest, a fine or a jail sentence if you are caught making “ugly faces” at a dog.

You may not eat cottage cheese after 6pm on a Sunday in Tampa Bay, Florida.

In California it is illegal to peel an orange in your hotel room.

In Milwaukee, residents must keep pet elephants on a leash while walking them on public streets.

In Mobile, Alabama, it is illegal to howl at ladies inside the city limits.

Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate on private property in groups of three or more in Oklahoma.

In Muncie, Indiana, it is illegal to carry fishing tackle in a cemetery.

It is illegal to go fishing while wearing pyjamas in Chicago.

It is strictly against the law to allow lions to run wild on the streets of Alderson, West Virginia.

In New York, a fine of $25 may still be levied for flirting. This old law prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking “at a woman in that way”. A second conviction for this crime requires the offender to wear a pair of racehorse blinkers whenever he goes out!.

In Kirkland, Illinois, it is forbidden that fly over the town.

In California, it is illegal for anyone to try and prevent a child from playfully jumping over a puddle of water.

In Tusla, you may not open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.

In California, it is illegal to threaten a butterfly, let alone kill one.

In Massachusetts, snoring it prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked. In the same state, goatee beards are banned unless you pay a special licence fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.

In Atlanta, Gerogia, it is forbidden to dress a mannequin without first pulling down the window blinds. It is also illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

A law in Kansas reads: “When trains meet at a crossing, both shall come to a full stop and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.”

At International Falls, Minnesota, it is illegal for a dog to chase a cat up a telegraph pole. Owners are liable to be fined.

It is illegal to carry an ice-cream cone in your pocket in Kentucky.

Romania - Transylvania (Ardeal)

Transylvania, or Ardeal as it is also called, is an old Romanian province inhabited by the Romanians starting with the first centuries of our era. During the Middle Ages the Romanian majority population fought for national identity and at the same time different ethnic communities joined them. Nowadays the mixture of peoples is of an outstanding variety. Many important events for the modern Romania took place here. I want to mention Michael the Brave’s success in uniting the three Romanian principalities in 1599 and the Great Union. Today according to the 2002 census 7.2 million people live here and the local economy is the most developed in the country.
After a general introduction about Ardeal I considered to be of interest a presentation of three towns – Sibiu, Sighişoara and Alba Iulia - that can give the reader an idea about how this region really is. I have to mention here the contribution to the development of Transylvania of the German and Hungarian settlers who came here centuries ago.
Sibiu is situated near the geographical center of Romania. The city was founded in 1190 by German settlers, near an ancient Roman settlement. The museums such as Astra or Brukenthal Museum and the wonderfully preserved medieval fortifications and churches recommend it as a tourist destination for those who enjoy discovering the past. In 2007 it proudly welcomes visitors and artists from all over the world as the European Capital of Culture.
Sighişoara is the oldest inhabited citadel in Europe. Its German founders took great care of this fortress that was situated on important commercial routes and transformed it into a marvel of military defense. The medieval festival held here each year in July comes as a natural continuation of its historic past. The Clock Tower and the Museum of History hosted here or the house where Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes) was born attract visitors who have a first hand experience in a medieval town.
Alba Iulia is considered by many to be the spiritual capital of Romania. On the 1st of December 1918 the representatives of all the Romanians gathered here and decided to bring together in a single state the historic principalities of Transylvania, Moldavia and Walachia. Not only then it proved its importance but also in 1599 when Michael the Brave made it his capital. Built on Roman ruins, in the Middle Ages it played an important role in the history of Transylvania, being the capital of the region between 1541-1690. The churches and the historic places make Alba Iulia an enjoyable tourist attraction.
I am sure my paper can provide the reader with a clear view about Transylvania and its past and present. A region of the present day Romania, full of the marks of the past, it fully proves its European vocation as part of a proud nation and country.